Is Israel Guilty of Genocide? – A discussion of Raz Segal’s claim

Professor Raz Segal has described Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip as “textbook genocide”.[1] This note examines his reasoning. What is genocide? Genocide is defined in Article II of the Genocide Convention of 1948 as committing various acts with intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group as such, in

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A Briefing Note on Genocide

Definition of Genocide in International Law Genocide is defined in Article II of the Genocide Convention of 1948 as committing various acts with intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group as such, in whole or in part. The specified acts are: killing or causing serious bodily or

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Q&A on International Law of Armed Conflict and Gaza

A. CIVILIAN CASUALTIES AND DAMAGE TO CIVILIAN BUILDINGS 1. Are armed forces permitted to attack civilians under international law? Armed forces must distinguish between civilians and combatants. Attacks targeting civilians are prohibited. However, attacks targeting enemy combatants are permitted even if civilian casualties or damage to civilian objects are expected, provided:

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A Briefing Note on Occupation

Is the Gaza Strip Occupied by Israel? Israel withdrew its military and civilian presence from the Gaza Strip in 2005. On any objective basis, the Gaza Strip has not been occupied by Israel since then and will not be occupied by Israel unless and until Israeli forces have effective control

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A Briefing Note on Siege, Humanitarian Supplies and Evacuations

ISRAEL’S OBLIGATIONS UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW IN GAZA: A BRIEFING NOTE ON SIEGE, HUMANITARIAN SUPPLIES & EVACUATIONS Siege Siege is a permissible means of warfare unless the intention is to starve the civilian population.[1] As stated in the UK’s Manual of the Law of Armed Conflict, “Siege is a legitimate method of warfare as long

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A Briefing Note on Proportionality in Warfare

UKLFI has produced a short guide to what is meant by proportionality in the International Law of Armed Conflict.    Some people think that the principle of “proportionality” during armed conflict refers to the number of people which each side kills. So if Hamas murdered 20 Israeli civilians, Israel would

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A Briefing Note on Hospitals

Protection of hospitals and other medical facilities Hospitals and other medical units exclusively assigned to medical purposes must be respected and protected in all circumstances. However they lose their protection if they are being used, outside their humanitarian function, to commit acts harmful to the enemy.[1] Examples of use “to commit acts harmful to

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Webinar: The BBC – What is it doing and what can we do about it?

UKLFI Charitable Trust held a webinar on  “The BBC: What is it doing and what can we do about it?”  with Hadar Sela and Jonathan Turner, chaired by Natasha Hausdorff  on Wednesday 29 November. Danny Cohen, former director of BBC television, has recently written in The Telegraph “On a daily basis

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The Law of Armed Conflict – webinar now on YouTube

UKLFI Charitable Trust held a webinar on The Law of Armed Conflict and the Gaza Strip with Professor Geoffrey S Corn and Colonel Richard Kemp, chaired by Natasha Hausdorff on Wednesday 15 November 2023. The speakers in this webinar have extensive experience in the military, operational and legal challenges fighting non-state

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Webinar: Using Litigation to Stop BDS

UKLFI Charitable Trust held a webinar on Using Litigation to Stop BDS with Marc Zell, chaired by Natasha Hausdorff on Sunday 11 June 2023. This webinar will focussed on the use of litigation to stop BDS (boycotts, divestment and sanctions) against Israel. The speaker, Marc Zell, has acted in prominent

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