Law for Palestine Launches a Series of Eight Articles in Partnership with Opinio Juris on Nicaragua v. Germany before the International Court of Justice

Law for Palestine, in partnership with Opinio Juris, a platform specialising in academic contributions and commentary on international law, has launched a series of eight articles featuring contributions from international law scholars and researchers. The series examines the legal questions raised by the case of Alleged Breaches of Certain International Obligations in Respect of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Nicaragua v. Germany), currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The series explores the broader legal implications of the case, which extend beyond the immediate dispute between the two states, raising fundamental questions about state responsibility for their own conduct in the context of violations committed by other states (the responsibility of third states), and the international obligations arising in such circumstances. In particular, it examines states’ obligations to prevent genocide, refrain from providing aid or assistance in the commission of serious violations of international law, and ensure respect for international humanitarian law. It also addresses questions of jurisdiction and admissibility, the relationship between treaty-based and customary international law obligations, the temporal scope of the Court’s jurisdiction, the legal significance of advisory opinions, and the effectiveness of domestic judicial oversight of arms export decisions.

These discussions are particularly significant in light of international obligations relating to the prevention of genocide, international humanitarian law, the prohibition of racial discrimination and apartheid, the right to self-determination, and other fundamental rules of international law.

In addition to the introductory contribution, the series features articles by Marco Longobardo, Adil Ahmad Haque, Nahed Samour, Ihsan Adel, Jinan Bastaki, Victor Kattan, Shahd Hammouri, Matthias Goldmann, and Sué González Hauck.

Through this series, Law for Palestine, in partnership with Opinio Juris, seeks to contribute to international legal debates on third-state responsibility, the preventive nature of international obligations, and the legal mechanisms available to ensure respect for international law and hold states accountable for breaches of their obligations, particularly in the context of Palestine, Israel’s unlawful occupation, and the support it receives from third states.