By Dr. Matthijs de Blois, Senior Fellow, thinc. Executive summary President Trump’s recent proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights has attracted much criticism. This criticism is often simplistic and unrealistic. The prohibition on the use of force to acquire territory is an important foundation of modern international law, but it does not…
On 8 January 2019, the Netherlands Institute of International Relations – Clingendael – has sent a Policy Brief to the Permanent Committee of Foreign Affairs of the Dutch Parliament, entitled: ‘Wie wind zaait, zal storm oogsten: bezetting en de Staat Israël’. In this Policy Brief (December 2018), the authors claim that with regard to the…
The UNGA’s Emergency Special Session about Resolution A/RES/ES-10/19 on Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital. On the 21st of December, 2017, the General Assembly (GA) of the United Nations (UN) again adopted a resolution on Jerusalem (A/RES/ES-10/19), within a month of its previous resolution on the 30th of November, 2017 (A/RES/72/15). The most recent resolution is…
On the 30th of November, 2017, the General Assembly (GA) of the United Nations (UN) adopted a resolution on Jerusalem (A/RES/72/15). Below, some of the presuppositions and findings of the GA on keys issues are subjected to closer scrutiny, including the Temple Mount and Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. This resolution was adopted with…
… this is how Matthijs de Blois, Senior fellow of thinc., characterises the report of the Special Rapporteur of the UN on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, the Canadian law professor S. Michael Lynk. The Report has the clear objective to heighten the pressure of the “international community” on Israel. It is…
Judgment of the Court of Justice (EU), Grand Chamber, 26 July 2017 in CaseC-79/15 P (ECLI:EU:C:2017:584) * This is a judgment in appeal in which the Court of Justice set aside a judgment of the General Court of 17 December 2014 (Hamas v Council). The issue is that since 2001, Hamas has been included in…