Understanding Genocide in International Law: Does Israel Fit the Definition?
Written by Paulina Guerrero, thinc. researcher Genocide, as defined under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention), is characterised by specific “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group.” These acts include: “[…] (a) Killing members of […]
Hamas Casualty Reports are a Tangle of Technical Problems
thinc. Senior Fellow Professor Gregory Rose has co-authored, with Professor Lewi Stone, a very important report published by Henry Jackson Society on the casualty figures in the Gaza Strip. The Hamas Ministry of Health in Gaza began releasing datasets in the first month of the Hamas war with Israel in October 2023. The data analysed in […]
thinc. makes written Statement to ICJ concerning Israel’s relations with UNRWA
By Andrew Tucker, Director thinc. On 1st May, The Hague Initiative for International Cooperation delivered a written statement to the ICJ regarding the matter of obligations of Israel in relation to the presence and activities of the United Nations, international organisations and third states in and in relation to areas termed occupied Palestinian territory. This Statement is submitted in […]
ICC investigation into the situation in Palestine: Appeals Chamber admits Israel’s appeal on jurisdiction
By Alessandro Spinillo, thinc. ICC investigation into the situation in Palestine: Appeals Chamber admits Israel’s appeal on jurisdiction and remands the matter to the Pre-Trial Chamber to rule on the substance of Israel’s jurisdictional challenge. In an important decision, on April 24, 2025, the ICC Appeals Chamber reversed the Pre-Trial Chamber’s ruling that rejected Israel’s […]
South Africa´s genocide claims against Israel: currently status
Written by Paulina Guerrero, thinc. researcher In December 2023, South Africa initiated proceedings against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip. South Africa instituted the proceedings by filing a request to […]
Dreaming the Dream of a Free Lebanon
Image: A Christian Militia on Patrol along the Lebanese border in 1977 during the Lebanese Civil War. Attribution: Dan Hadani/Wikimedia Commons By Robert Nicholson on March 20, 2025. Link to the full article: Dreaming the Dream of a Free Lebanon – Providence The last time I saw Fawaz Najim alive was in Galilee, not far from […]
Dear UNRWA, citizens of Palestine can’t also be Palestinian refugees
Image: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, left, poses with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the United Nations headquarters Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015. (AP Photo/Kevin Hagen) Written by Steve E. Zipperstein Published on Times of Israel Blogs: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/dear-unrwa-citizens-of-palestine-cant-also-be-palestinian-refugees/ For the past 76 years, UNRWA has operated in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, serving Palestinian […]
The Israel-Hamas War: Self Defense, Necessity and Proportionality
By Steven E. Zipperstein, thinc. Senior Fellow On October 7, 2023, Hamas, the governing authority in Gaza since June 2007, launched a surprise attack against southern Israel. Hamas terrorists fired thousands of rockets indiscriminately at Israeli civilian targets, and simultaneously invaded Israeli territory from the land, sea and air. The terrorists brutally slaughtered at least […]
Hamas, the hostages and the “occupation” myth
By Andrew Tucker, Director thinc. The horrific scenes over the past days of Hamas militants proudly handing over Israeli hostages – alive and dead – to the Red Cross have shocked the world. It is hard to imagine any more brutal or grotesque infringement of international law and morals. But why is there no international […]
Hostage-Taking as a War Crime: The Tragic Fate of the Bibas Family and Israel’s Ongoing Grief
By Silvia Fainaro, thinc. International law strictly prohibits the taking of hostages under the Geneva Conventions (1949) and the International Convention Against the Taking of Hostages (1979). Hostage-taking is considered a war crime and a crime against humanity when committed during armed conflicts. The Fourth Geneva Convention specifically protects civilians, stating that no person may […]
International law organization urges Italy and all EU member states to list IRGC as terror organization
On Tuesday February 25th, 2025, at a meeting in the Italian Senate in Rome, The Hague Initiative for International Cooperation (thinc.) urged the Italian government to make sure that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is listed as a terror organization in the EU. thinc. is a global network of international lawyers that carries out research, […]
Is Just Statecraft Useful for Statecraft?
By Robert Nicholson on February 14, 2025, Published on “Providence“. There’s probably some irony in the editor-at-large of Providence engaging in critiques of the just war tradition, the intellectual pillar of our magazine from day one. Yet I’ve critiqued that tradition in the past and will do so in the future, knowing that my colleagues understand the importance of […]
Smoke & Mirrors: The United States, Ireland & Israel
By Alan Shatter The initial weeks of Donald Trump’s return to the White House have irrefutably confirmed the reinstated President is intent on rapidly advancing what he perceives to be in the United States interests through the exercise of raw American power unhindered by diplomatic niceties. America First means what is says on the tin […]
Using the ICJ as a political weapon against Israel – and avoiding the real problem of terror
By Andrew Tucker, Director of thinc. The UN General Assembly has again been mobilized by the Arab, Islamic and African groups of states, supported by some European states (including Norway, France, Ireland and Belgium) to request yet another Advisory Opinion from the ICJ, condemning Israel. This latest request concerns Israel’s termination of relations with the […]
Francesca Albanese – a biased Special Rapporteur – is invited to speak in the Dutch Parliament
By Paulina Guerrero, thinc. Photo: The meetings of the United Nations Human Rights Council take place in the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room of the Palace of Nations, Geneva. Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur for the “Occupied Palestinian Territories”, has been invited to speak in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Dutch Parliament. This article explains Francesca […]
The International Criminal Court’s imbalanced justice
By Eli Kenin, an independent writer, researcher and translator based in Jerusalem The Court performs legal acrobatics to charge Israeli leaders while being derelict in its duty to bring Venezuela’s dictator to justice The International Criminal Court’s logo displays a scale nestled between two olive branches symbolizing the balance between justice and peace. Each year, […]
UN Adopts Two New anti-Israel Resolutions
By prof. Steven Zipperstein On 11 December 2024 the UN General Assembly adopted two new anti-Israel Resolutions. The first resolution demands “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. It further demanded “immediate access by the civilian population in the Gaza Strip to basic services and […]
Amnesty International seeks to expand the concept of genocide
By Alessandro Spinillo and Paulina Guerrero On 5th December, Amnesty International published a report entitled “´You feel like you are subhuman´ Israel´s Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza.” Amnesty argues that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.[1] [1] https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde15/8668/2024/en/ In order to make its case, Amnesty both distorts the factual narrative of […]
An evening with Andrew Tucker in Camberwell, Melbourne, Australia
You are cordially invited to attend this engaging lecture by Andrew Tucker, international lawyer and director of The Hague Initiative for International Coorporation (thinc.)
Trump, Israel and International Law: What Should We Expect?
By Steven E. Zipperstein, Distinguished Senior Scholar, UCLA Center for Middle East Development Introduction Donald Trump’s victory in the 5 November 2024 U.S. presidential election portends a shift in American policy toward the Middle East, Israel and international law. Generally speaking and based on Trump’s approach during his first term in office and the personnel […]