Webinar Explored Legal and Diplomatic Pathways for Peacekeeping Forces and Civilian Protection Measures in Response to Ongoing Genocide in Palestine
On 28 February 2025, Law for Palestine, in collaboration with the Independent Commission for Human Rights in Palestine (ICHR) and the Community Action Center in Al Quds University, hosted an online webinar via Zoom. The event was titled: “Gaza/West Bank: Expanding Genocide, UNRWA Ban and Defiance of International Institutions – What Protection Measures Are Needed for Palestinians?”.
The webinar, the third in Season 3 of the Jurists for Palestine Forum, brought together leading experts in international law, human rights, and global advocacy to discuss the ongoing genocide in Palestine, particularly the expansion of its tactics from Gaza to the West Bank, and the escalating attacks on UNRWA and international institutions. The discussion aimed to explore legal avenues for protecting Palestinian people, including the feasibility of peacekeeping forces or unarmed civilian protection. Experts examined the legal foundations, historical precedents, and practical mechanisms for implementation, with a focus on the role of the UN, third states, regional bodies, and grassroots movements.
Moderated by Munir Nuseibah (Director of the Community Action Center – Jerusalem and member of BOT, Law for Palestine), the webinar featured five esteemed speakers: Ammar Dwaik, Director General of the ICHR, Susan Akram, Clinical professor at Boston University School of Law, John Quigley, Professor of law at the Moritz College of Law, Ohio State University, Mel Duncan, Founding director of Nonviolent Peaceforce, and Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, Co-General Coordinator of Progressive International and Acting Chair of The Hague Group for Palestine. Genocide Palestine Protection Peacekeeping Legal
Ammar Dwaik: Israel’s Unchecked Repression and the Role of Arab States in Countering It
During the webinar, Dr. Ammar Dwaik highlighted Israel’s shift from conflict management to conflict termination, an approach that, in practice, translates into an open-ended war against the Palestinian people. He emphasized that Israel’s actions in Gaza, combined with its escalating repression in the West Bank, demonstrate the absence of any real constraints on its use of force, coercion, and systematic displacement of Palestinians. The scale of destruction in Gaza is staggering, and the humanitarian situation remains catastrophic due to severe restrictions on aid. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, mass displacement has reached unprecedented levels, with over 40,000 Palestinians forcibly removed from refugee camps under Israel’s intensified military operations. Israeli officials have explicitly stated that these displaced individuals will not be allowed to return in the foreseeable future, reinforcing concerns about the occupation’s long-term strategy to erase Palestinian presence in key areas.
By threatening to suspend or reconsider their diplomatic and economic ties with Israel, and by providing financial and political backing to UNRWA, Arab governments could impose real political and economic costs on Israel’s actions
Dr. Dwaik further underscored how Israeli political discourse has increasingly dehumanized Palestinians, framing their very existence as a problem to be solved through forced displacement or extreme military measures. He pointed to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent remarks advocating the removal of Gaza’s population, comments that, while seemingly impractical, fuel incitement within Israeli political circles, including among so-called centrist figures. Against this backdrop, he called for urgent and coordinated action to counter these policies, stressing that Arab states, in particular, hold significant leverage. By threatening to suspend or reconsider their diplomatic and economic ties with Israel, and by providing financial and political backing to UNRWA, Arab governments could impose real political and economic costs on Israel’s actions. Without such pressure, he warned, the situation would only deteriorate further, pushing Palestinian communities deeper into crisis and further destabilizing the region.
Susan Akram on the implications of Israel’s Ban on UNRWA
”If UNRWA is eliminated, in Israel’s view, so are Palestinians rights and any mechanism to enforce them.”
Susan Akram highlighted the troubling accusations made by Israel against UNRWA, even before October 7, which Israel has failed to substantiate with evidence of UNRWA employees’ involvement. Akram discussed the Israeli legislation passed in October 2024, which sought to abolish UNRWA’s status and label it a terrorist organization. According to Akram, if UNRWA is eliminated, Israel views this as a denial of Palestinian rights and the mechanisms to enforce them. She emphasized that the survival of 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza depends heavily on the humanitarian assistance provided by UNRWA, and in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, both registered and non-registered Palestinians rely on the agency’s services. Akram also pointed out the significant impact UNRWA has beyond the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), including in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, where it serves Palestinian refugees. She further highlighted the importance of UNRWA employees in delivering essential services.
Akram also addressed a crucial point: the status of Palestinian refugees is not dependent on UNRWA’s existence, as it is rooted in international law, which determines that Israel, as the occupying power, has the responsibility to provide protection to Palestinians, especially with the closure of UNRWA. She clarified that while UNRWA does not grant refugee status, it recognizes individuals as eligible for humanitarian assistance and services. The United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine (UNCCP) defines the legal status of Palestinians as refugees.
Akram concluded by discussing the legality of Israel’s law regarding UNRWA, emphasizing that it violates the UN Charter and international law. As a member state of the United Nations, Israel is obligated to protect and respect UNRWA, a responsibility that is now at risk.
John Quigley on the Legal Dimensions of Protection Measures of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza
John Quigley pointed to international precedents for protecting populations in conflict situations, which could be applied to the current context. He highlighted the example of the UN Emergency Force established by the General Assembly in 1956, which operated on the frontier between Gaza and Israel for a decade. Despite its presence, the force failed to deter Israeli military actions, including an attack on Gaza and the UN Emergency Force headquarters, which resulted in the deaths of several UN personnel. Quigley also referenced a 2001 U.S. army assessment that was done to determine the feasibility of an international peacekeeping force in the West Bank and Gaza if authorized by the UN. The study criticized Israeli military forces for disregarding international law, underscoring that the lack of cooperation with protection measures is not a recent development. While the history of protection forces is not optimistic, Quigley suggested that with proper organization, a protection mechanism could still be effective if Israel were to respect it. He echoed Dwaik’s comments that greater involvement from the Arab states could serve as a model for a diplomatic protective presence that Israel might respect. He also mentioned the possibility of adopting protective measures through the UN General Assembly, citing as an example the establishment of an emergency force in Korea (1950) when the Security Council was unable to act due to a permanent member’s veto. This is besides the possibility of the Security Council invoking Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which was used to set up a protection force in Bosnia in 1993 amid ongoing hostilities.
He further emphasized the importance of upholding the right of return for Palestinians, particularly in response to the U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks about relocating Gaza’s population. He stressed that rather than being forcibly displaced elsewhere, the majority of Gaza’s residents—who are refugees from historic Palestine—should be allowed to return to their original homes, in accordance with UN resolutions.
Mel Duncan on the Dimensions and Feasibility of Protection Measures Particularly in the Context of Unarmed Civilian Protectors
“ Solidarity breaks the isolation of apartheid”
Mel Duncan highlighted the dimensions and feasibility of protection measures, particularly focusing on unarmed civilian protection, also known as protective presence. Duncan pointed out that at least 61 civil society organizations are using this approach in 24 areas of violent conflict, including Iraq, Myanmar, South Sudan, and the U.S. Notably, this form of protection requires minimal financial investment and equipment, allowing broader participation. It has also been recognized by the United Nations. Duncan provided comparative examples and precedents of unarmed civilian protection around the world that are relevant to the situation in the West Bank. He specifically mentioned the teams in Masafer Yatta, including local Israeli groups that provide protection for Palestinians. These groups operate on the invitation of local communities, and their work is grounded in non-violence and solidarity.
Duncan made several recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of unarmed civilian protection. First, he emphasized the need to increase the number of well-trained and experienced civilian protectors. Second, he called for stronger support for existing groups, as they often rely on volunteers and limited resources. He suggested providing training, a platform for collaboration, and assistance in supporting members who face trauma in the field. Duncan concluded by stressing that solidarity is a powerful tool that breaks the isolation imposed by apartheid. Genocide Palestine Protection Peacekeeping Legal
Varsha Gandikota on the Creation of the Hague Group on Palestine and the Next Steps for the Group
Varsha Gandikota discussed the creation of the Hague Group on Palestine, which was established on 21 January 2025, with the participation of eight countries: Malaysia, South Africa, Senegal, Namibia, Colombia, Honduras, Bolivia. As a historic move toward coordinated collective state action, the group’s primary goal is to coordinate legal, military, and economic measures to curtail Israel’s violations of international law. Gandikota explained that the group was founded out of necessity, noting that if the existing legal architecture functioned as intended, the world would not be facing the current crisis, marked by 500 days of genocide. She pointed out that while the genocide may have relocated from Gaza to the West Bank, it remains ongoing. The group’s mission is not to undermine international law or multilateralism, but to highlight the failure of states to uphold their obligations, stop the genocide and support the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination. Gandikota emphasized that this defiance of international law is not limited to the U.S., with its sanctions on the ICC, but also includes European countries like France, which for years have violated international law and now refuse to comply with ICC arrest warrants against Israeli officials. Genocide Palestine Protection Legal
The Hague Group’s commitment is rooted in the UN Charter, which Gandikota described as the core framework guiding state actions. She referenced the ICJ’s advisory opinion of July 2024, which declared Israel’s occupation illegal, and the September 2024 UN resolution that brought this opinion into the halls of the UN. Furthermore, Gandikota stressed the importance of state obligations to ensure accountability for war criminals, with the group pledging to prevent any harboring of genocide and to stop the use of ports within the group’s nations for transferring military aid to Israel. The group also advocates for halting any exports or transfers of arms to Israel as part of their broader mission for justice and accountability.
Conclusion Genocide Palestine Protection Peacekeeping Legal
The webinar concluded with a sobering reflection on the unprecedented challenges facing the Palestinian people and the urgent need for decisive international action. Speakers underscored that the current moment represents both a critical juncture for international law as a tool for justice and a deepening crisis of ambiguity regarding Palestinian rights and status. The discussion made it clear that while historical precedents for protection mechanisms exist, their effectiveness depends on political will and enforcement. The webinar served as a call to action for states, civil society, and global institutions to move beyond rhetoric and explore concrete steps to hold Israel accountable, protect Palestinian lives, and ensure the full realization of their right to self-determination.
- To read the full transcript of this webinar, click here
