US Recognition of Israeli Sovereignty over the Golan Heights – An International Law Perspective

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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 mean that wars of aggression against a neighbouring state cannot have territorial consequences.

Wie wind zaait, zal storm oogsten.

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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 boy who cried wolf?

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The UNGA’s Emergency Special Session about Resolution A/RES/ES-10/19 on Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital. By Dr. Matthijs de Blois, Senior Fellow,  thinc. 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,…

A Report full of dynamite

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… this is how Dr. 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.