Do You Listen to Fascists or Do You Listen to Legal Scholars?

If you believe in International Law and in the simple concept that countries ought to behave according to the rules and regulations – no matter how colonial and imperfect – that we currently have, in some circles, you might find yourself in a minority.

In my previous article and podcast episode, I talk about how much of a complete disregard for International Law and International Humanitarian Law specifically we see these days when Israel’s conduct in Gaza is being defended.

Today, I want to present to you three people whose work you might want to follow if you haven’t yet.

These are people who not only believe in International Law but have actual experience in it.

First, I will start with an honest comment that if you haven’t heard of Noura Erakat, you might have been living under a rock. The good news is that you can leave it right now.

Noura Erakat is a Palestinian-American human rights lawyer, author, legal scholar, activist, and co-editor of Jadaliyya.

I have quoted Noura’s work and have been pointing to her as a recommended resource for some years now, and it has never been a time more important to continue doing so. In addition to the interview with Noura that I shared at the beginning of this article, I again invite you to listen to Noura’s speech that, to my mind, history will remember as a powerful and beautiful call for solidarity in times of genocide.

Second, I highly recommend following Craig Mokhiber‘s work. Craig is an International Human Rights lawyer who was the Director of the New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) until he resigned in protest of inaction towards the unfolding genocide in Gaza. You might remember Craig from my own article where I recommended a conversation between him and Norman Finkelstein on the the decision by the International Court of Justice in South Africa’s case against Israel.

Here are some tweets by Craig I have turned into shareables that you, too, can download here:

(find more quotes and other formats of media on Palestine that you might want to share on my Instagram page)

Third, I invite you to follow Diana Buttu. She is a Palestinian-Canadian lawyer and analyst who served as a legal advisor to the Palestinian negotiating team from 2000 to 2005. Please watch her conversation with two journalists, Gideon Levy and Chris Hedges, whose work I also can’t recommend highly enough.

I have chosen to call my article “Do You Listen to Fascists or Do You Listen to Legal Scholars?” because of a very simple reason:

Because it is completely frightening and, honestly, appalling, to see people – our governments, “public intellectuals”, even historians (like what Israeli historian Benny Morriss did in this conversation), openly support Israel’s mass killings, forced famine, and the destruction of infrastructure needed for human life in Gaza. Because ultimately, to do that means to simply admit that it is OK for one country to do whatever it wants, as long as it is powerful enough to achieve its goals, without any consideration for any international treaty, the Geneva Convention, the UN resolutions, and even what the highest court on this planet orders you to do.

For the supporters of what Israel is doing, it is OK to use whatever force to kill the ones it has deemed its enemies. And we have seen that in Gaza, for Israel that is everyone.

As always: stay strong, check on others, and keep your heart open.

❤️💔❤️

Justina

I’ve removed the option to support my work from this post. Instead, I invite you to consider supporting my friend’s fundraiser to assist displaced people in Gaza.

Find my video on navigating difficult times here.

Find all my work on Palestine here.

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