درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

“Prolonged Occupation and International Law”, published in late March 2023 by Brill Publishing House, is a landmark collection of essays on the Israeli regime's protracted occupation of Palestinian territory. The 16-chapter book is a treasure trove of valuable contributions from eminent scholars, professors, lawyers, practitioners, and policymakers, including former UN Special Rapporteurs. The book has received acclaim from several legal scholars, including William A. Schabas, Professor of International Law, School of Law, Middlesex University, who has offered a glowing review, stating: “Scholarly and comprehensive, this impressive collection of essays by renowned experts...offers a tour d'horizon of the fundamental legal issues raised by Israel’s prolonged occupation of Palestine as well as potential remedies that can confront the illegalities.”  The book intends to draw international attention to the extraordinary length of the occupation of the Palestinian territory by Israel, which has now lasted more than half a century. Chapters in this book cover a broad spectrum of topics related to the prolonged occupation and Israel’s control, ranging from colonialism to apartheid. Authors unanimously assert the illegality of the occupation from day one, and emphasize that indefinite occupation and colonialism collide with the foundational requirement under international humanitarian law that the occupied territory be returned to the occupied population. The miscellany also underscores the critical importance of historical analysis in comprehending the root causes that have propelled Israel onto its current trajectory of apartheid, colonialism, and annexation. Unfolding the past - the book argues- is essential for addressing the intergenerational trauma and injustice inflicted upon the Palestinian people and ultimately achieving a just and durable resolution. This brief analysis will summarize the book's principal arguments and evaluate its key themes presented in two parts, followed by a critical assessment. 

Francesca P. Albanese and Lex Takkenberg’s Palestinian Refugees in International Law,the substantially expanded second edition of which was published in 2020 by OxfordUniversity Press, is an exhaustive and meticulous work that can be considered the seminallegal text on the status of Palestinian refugees. This volume, which is fundamentallya new work built upon the foundation of the 1998 first edition, adopts a holistic andmultidisciplinary approach to examine the historical, legal, and political dimensions ofone of the world’s most protracted refugee crises. The authors, both possessing extensiveexperience with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the NearEast (UNRWA), present a profound analysis of the distinctive legal regime governingthis refugee population, arguing that any just and durable solution to their predicamentmust be firmly rooted in the principles of international law.

Rohingya Muslims have suffered persecution and genocide in the Republic of Myanmar (formerly Burma) and have been expelled from the country by the military junta who are in power. The evidence is incontrovertible of grave human rights abuses and that the refugees have lived in diaspora with no prospect of returning home. The UN human rights investigators have compiled reports that testify to the inhumanities that they have suffered prior to their expulsion. Despite this, there has been no efforts towards redressing this problem which falls within the remit of international human rights and humanitarian law. The actions of the Myanmar authorities in using force can be considered as Non-International Armed Conflict (NIAC) and the UN intervention under the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) measure, could be activated. This can serve as a basis for arresting the responsible officials in Myanmar and prosecuting them under an international tribunal. This has not been possible because of the lack of consensus in the international community and the exercise of the veto power by some members of the Security Council. This article argues that there should be intervention in this conflict under the existing precedent by broadening the scope of intervention and then by prosecution in a specially constituted tribunal. The R2P mechanism can be activated by prescribing the genocide of the Rohingyas within the framework of an NIAC and by constituting a tribunal under the Tadic principle to try the members of the Myanmar’s regime for their breaches of IHL.