Event information

24 November 2023, 12:15-14:00
Register start 13 November 2023
Register end 22 November 2023

Downloads

Flyer >

Al-Aqsa Flood and Iron Sword: Legal and Humanitarian Challenges

IHL Talks

 Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike on the El-Remal aera in Gaza City, October 2023.  Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike on the El-Remal aera in Gaza City, October 2023.

The decades-long crisis in the Middle East has undergone a further escalation following the Al-Aqsa Flood attack conducted by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Israel’s subsequent Iron Sword operation. The unfolding tragedy poses significant challenges to our legal and humanitarian protection framework.

Although violence and conflicts are not new to this region, this IHL Talk will specifically delve into several aspects exacerbated by this cycle. It will address important IHL questions and related controversies – such as the classification of the situation, humanitarian access, rules on the conduct of hostilities, hostage taking, the specific protection of persons and objects –, accountability prospects before the International Criminal Court and challenges associated with evidence collection, alongside the ongoing humanitarian situation on the ground.

The ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza and the related emerging mistrust – in the region and beyond – towards IHL also put to a test our international legal framework. Our panelists will scrutinize the immediate and lasting consequences of this trend and offer a realistic assessment of the extent to which IHL can provide protection in this specific context.

Moderation

  • Eugénie Duss, Research Fellow, Geneva Academy

Panelists

  • Eitan Diamond, Manager and Senior Legal Expert, Diakonia International Humanitarian Law Centre, Jerusalem (online)
  • Shawan Jabarim, Director, Al-Haq (online)
  • Chantal Meloni, Professor, Università degli Studi di Milano Statale
  • Ido Rosenzweig, Director of Research, Minerva Center for the Rule of Law under Extreme Conditions, University of Haifa

About IHL Talks

The IHL Talks are a series of events, hosted by the Geneva Academy, on international humanitarian law and current humanitarian topics. Academic experts, practitioners, policymakers and journalists discuss burning humanitarian issues and their regulation under international law.

Drinks

This event will be followed by drinks.

 

Disclaimer

This event may be filmed, recorded and/or photographed on behalf of the Geneva Academy. The Geneva Academy may use these recordings and photographs for internal and external communications for information, teaching and research purposes, and/or promotion and illustration through its various media channels (website, social media, newsletters, annual report, etc.).

By participating in this event, you are agreeing to the possibility of appearing in the aforementioned films, recordings and photographs, and their subsequent use by the Geneva Academy.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

ICRC Conference Booth News

Challenging Preconceptions About International Humanitarian Law

13 November 2024

At the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, we hosted a booth with Geneva Call and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway.

Read more

ukraine conflict News

New Research Brief examines the transitional justice initiatives currently unfolding in Ukraine

7 October 2024

Our latest research brief, 'Navigating Pathways Toward Transitional Justice in Ukraine' examines the initiatives currently unfolding in Ukraine and assesses how they can lead to a holistic transitional justice process.

Read more

Portrait of Ambassador Jürg Lauber Event

Opening Lecture of the Spring Semester

19 February 2025, 18:00-21:00

The opening lecture of the 2025 Spring Semester will be given by Ambassador Jürg Lauber, President of the Human Rights Council and the Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations.

Read more

Short Course

The Law of Non-International Armed Conflicts

6-21 February 2025

This online short course discusses the protection offered by international humanitarian law (IHL) in non-international armed conflicts (NIACs) and addresses some problems and controversies specific to IHL of NIACs, including the difficulty to ensure the respect of IHL by armed non-state actors.

Read more

A session of the UN Human Rights Council Project

IHL Expert Pool

Started in January 2022

The IHL-EP works to strengthen the capacity of human rights mechanisms to incorporate IHL into their work in an efficacious and comprehensive manner. By so doing, it aims to address the normative and practical challenges that human rights bodies encounter when dealing with cases in which IHL applies.

Read more

Neutrotechology Project

Neurotechnology and Human Rights

Started in August 2023

This project addresses the human rights implications stemming from the development of neurotechnology for commercial, non-therapeutic ends, and is based on a partnership between the Geneva Academy, the Geneva University Neurocentre and the UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee. 

Read more

Cover of the 2023 Geneva Academy Annual Report Publication

Annual Report 2023

published on July 2024

Read more