Search Results for: Jerusalem

“Where there were great military actions, there lies whitening now the jawbone of an ass.” Saint-John Perse (French poet, 1887-1975) As film, the core importance of “Oppenheimer” lies in its messages on human survival. The personal, emotional and romantic aspects of the film are captivating, to be sure, but they are less consequential than any [...]

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights published a report on Friday calling for accountability for Israel and Palestinian militant groups for numerous violations of international law over the course of the Israel-Palestine conflict and occupation. The report said that the ongoing human rights violations “cannot be permitted to continue” and called for immediate adherence [...]

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken condemned Israel’s proposed expansion of settlements in the West Bank during a press conference Friday, marking a significant reversal in policy since former president Donald Trump’s administration claimed the expansion of settlements did not violate international law. Blinken stated: On settlements, we’ve seen the reports, and I have to [...]

Representatives for Palestine called for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to order a halt to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory and declare that states have obligations to refrain from supporting the occupation as hearings commenced Monday in a case brought by the UN General Assembly. The General Assembly requested an advisory opinion from the [...]

UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced on Monday a review of whether the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians in the Near East (UNRWA) is “ensur neutrality” and properly responding to allegations of possible breaches. The announcement came after Israel accused UNRWA of involvement in the October 7 Hamas attacks. The accusation caused several countries, [...]

“God loves from Whole to Part, but human soul Must rise from Individual to the Whole.” Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man Though poorly understood, humankind can survive on this planet only by embracing viable systems of international law. More than anything else, these world-centered legal systems must be founded upon axiomatic principles of human [...]

The current conflict engulfing Israel and Palestine raises significant issues of international law and policy. This is part one in an anticipated two-part series that will discuss some of the relevant legal questions before the International Criminal Court (ICC; Part I) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ; Part II).  With both courts located in [...]

“So far from it being unjust to punish him, it would be unjust if his wrongs were allowed to go unpunished.” Nuremberg Tribunal (1946) At the beginning of 2024, former President Donald J. Trump’s most conspicuously unsupportable legal claim has been his personal immunity from criminal prosecution. With this claim, Mr. Trump and his lead [...]

The Supreme Court of Israel struck down Monday a key component of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial judicial reform law, which sought to stop judges from nullifying government decisions that they deemed to be unreasonable. In July 2023, Netanyahu’s government passed a bill, after seven months of debate and widespread protests, abolishing the “reasonableness” clause, [...]

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights released a report on Thursday detailing the “further and rapid deterioration” of human rights in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since October 7. The report stressed that escalating violence puts civilian populations at risk and urged Israel and other authorities to take necessary [...]