New Scholarly Article Asserts Palestine’s Sovereign Rights Over Gaza Marine Gas Fields
Leiden Journal of International Law has published a new article in its 2025 special issue critically addressing the legal and political debates surrounding Gaza’s offshore gas resources. The article, titled “Gaza Marine: The Facts and the Law,” is co-authored by legal scholars Mutaz M. Qafisheh, Jinan Bastaki, and Victor Kattan.
The piece provides a detailed analysis of the legal status of the Gaza Marine gas fields, asserting that Palestine, as a state party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), holds full sovereign rights over its maritime territory, including rights to explore and exploit the natural resources located within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the coast of Gaza.
“The law pertinent to the Gaza Sea is clear-cut,” the authors argue, affirming that Palestine possesses the same sovereign prerogatives under UNCLOS as any other state, including the ability to enter into contracts with states or companies for the development of offshore gas fields.
The article documents how a history of unlawful Israeli policies dating back to 1967, and particularly the ongoing blockade imposed on Gaza since 2007, have obstructed Palestine’s ability to exercise its maritime rights and develop its natural resources. These actions, the authors contend, constitute continuing internationally wrongful acts that trigger Israel’s state responsibility under international law.
The authors call for:
– The lifting of the blockade on Gaza;
– The removal of all unlawful restrictions on Palestinian access to and use of its maritime zones;
– And compensation for the losses Palestine has sustained due to the decades-long denial of access to its natural gas resources.
Published in the Critique section of the Leiden Journal of International Law (Vol. 38, 2025, pp. 42–57), the article is part of a special issue engaging with growing public and academic concern over natural resource sovereignty in Palestine and the broader implications of maritime rights under international law.
* To read the article, click here
