Responsibility of International Organizations

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Trade with the Settlements: How EU Law Points the Way Out of the Deadlock

August 4, 2026

The International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion of 2024 on Legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Terrritory, including East Jerusalem has prompted many scholarly comments on third states’ obligations to react to violations of international law by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) (notably here and here). Much has been written also on the rather passive stand of the European Union (EU) in this respect (notably here and here), which manifested itself again this summer when the EU Foreign Affairs Council proved unable to take measures with respect to the Israeli settlements in the OPT. Less attention has been given to how this deadlock, and the EU’s posture towards Israel more generally, relate to the legal intricacies of the EU’s decision-making process as well as to its foundational principles. This post argues that banning trade with the settlements is a matter of the Union’s living up to its foundational principles, which include respect for international law and the rule of law. It…

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Eurovision, Non-Recognition and Bangaranga?!

June 2, 2026

Bulgaria won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna with Dara’s “Bangaranga”; Israel finished second; and five countries, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland, stayed away in protest at Israel’s participation. That combination, spectacle, boycott and contested belonging, is a useful entry point into a wider legal problem. Eurovision is not the United…

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Two Weeks in Review: 26 January—6 February 2026

February 8, 2026

The last two weeks have taken us from headlines to bylines and beyond. Front-page legal questions on USA-Greenland and Russia-Ukraine continue to occupy commentators. While others draw our attention to the lesser thumbed back pages: from colonial-era agreements in contemporary arbitration, and the recognition of Somaliland, to the "stateless eight" suspended in legal limbo at the International Residual…

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The Corporate Identity of UNSC Resolution 2803: Trump’s Gaza Plan as a Business Strategy on New Cities Construction

December 5, 2025

Building on the excellent post by Michelle Burgis-Kasthala on UNSC Resolution 2803 and President Donald Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, annexed to this “deeply problematic Resolution”, we would like to explore here the background and context of the physical reconstruction proposals for Gaza contained in this Plan. Burgis-Kasthala rightly mentions that these plans…

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Fifteen Years of the UN Ombudsperson: Due Process as Competitive Advantage

September 23, 2025

This year marks the 15th anniversary of one of the most quietly revolutionary institutions in global governance: the Office of the United Nations Ombudsperson to the ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee. The Office was established by the Security Council to provide an independent, impartial review mechanism for those on the counterterrorism sanctions list.

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