Search: palestine icc
24 Oct Mark Kersten on the Terror Attacks in Canada
...government has actively pursued a political philosophy of retribution and control that tarnishes the country’s image as an ‘honest international broker’. Harper’s record attests to an unyielding mission to reshape Canada’s international identity as a tough and hard-power state. The Harper government plays the part of destructive belligerent in climate change negotiations and tar-sands cheerleader. It is first in line to threaten Palestine with “consequences” if Ramallah pursues accountability for alleged crimes committed by Israeli forces in Gaza. While it isn’t usually described as such (many prefer terms like “militarily...20 Mar Guest Post: The Russia-Crimea Treaty
...sovereign equals, elevating the status of the non-state actor in order to elevate the status of the agreement itself. But with Crimean separation being widely condemned, the reverse would seem to be the case here: a collective decision to shun one of the parties has the effect of denying it legal capacity to enter into a treaty. Some argue that an internationally acknowledged self-determination unit (e.g., Palestine) may conclude a treaty notwithstanding the state-centric definition in Article 2 of the Vienna Convention. This argument relies on Article 3 of the...07 Sep Beyond Caricature
Ken, since I have commitments most of today, I can answer only briefly and perhaps a little too abruptly, the surprising, even astonishing remarks in your last post, remarks so surprising, given their source, that I am wondering whether someone pretending to be you actually made the post. Let’s begin with the granular. In my post on the Israeli-Palestine conflict I say the following: “I neither claim nor believe that the U.S. and the Islamic world would like down together like the lion and the lamb in the Peaceable Kingdom...07 Jan Whose Alleged Settlement is Bigger?
went into effect] and that the number of immigrants in the past decade has been relatively small, likely in the thousands. Contrast that with Israeli immigration: the number of Jewish settlers living in the West Bank in 2002 was around 214,000; there are more than 350,000 living there today — an increase of approximately 136,000 civilians. [Prof. Heller seems to assume, as he has argued before, that ICC jurisdiction over Palestine could be retroactive to 2002, if it files an Art. 12(3) declaration. I think that position has real textual...
02 Sep We Need to Talk About Genocide
...it is to get positive international action in Myanmar and Sudan. In Gaza, Israel’s campaign is supported by the United States, which has also used its veto to stop concerted action. Until its recent conditional promise to recognise Palestine, the United Kingdom government has seemed more intent on prosecuting those who protest the policy and practice of genocide rather than in actually doing anything other than uttering occasional words of mild reproof. Writing in the New York Review of Books recently, American historian Christopher R. Browning recalled the words of...08 Dec Weekend Roundup: December 1-7, 2012
This week on Opinio Juris, we continued a few conversations from last week. Kevin Jon Heller clarified his argument about the retroactive acceptance of the ICC’s jurisdiction, and challenged the assumption that Palestine was not a state before last week’s UNGA vote. Deborah Pearlstein advanced three reasons for the importance of Jeh Johnson’s recent speech on the conditions for calling an end to the war on terror. Continuing on the war on terror, Kevin expressed concern over the extension of US targeting policy in Afghanistan to “children with potential hostile...
15 Nov Israel’s Brazen Attack on Al-Haq – Troubled from Apartheid Charges, Armed with Terrorism Designations and Blessed by U.S. Silence
...and human rights activities, and its long-lasting constructive engagement with the ICC. Having a closer look at how Israel strategized its most recent attack, Al-Haq’s General Director, Shawan Jabarin’s statement only proves how anxious and desperate Israel is to obliterate the Palestinian CSOs: The recent allegations against Al-Haq and fellow organizations are a result of the Israeli failure to challenge the work of the organization on the basis of law or evidence, deciding instead to use its political power as an occupying colonial regime with the ability to create the...26 Nov Rafah Crossing
Palestine moved one step closer to peace with the opening of the Rafah crossing to Egypt. With no international airport open, the Rafah checkpoint is the international gateway into Gaza. President Abbas was celebrating yesterday at the opening ceremony: “I think every Palestinian now has his passport ready in his pocket. Let them come to cross at this terminal whenever they want.” Or as one border crosser put it, “Today is a day of happiness for every Palestinian, the suffering is coming to an end…” The most prophetic words came...26 Aug Structuring a Peace Process
...negotiations will be hampered by the lack of a really representative Palestinian government. “That is the point,” agreed Cohen, the director of the Institute for Middle East Peace and Development and author of a new book, Beyond America’s Grasp: A Century of Failed Diplomacy in the Middle East. The United States is “acting as if there is a strong state” among the Arab states, he said. “But there is no leader who can make a decision who can carry the day. [Similarly], there is no strong leader in Palestine who...