Public Pleadings by LLM Students on the Summer 2014 Gaza Conflict

Event

ICRC

The conflict in and around Gaza in July-August 2014, called by Israel ‘Operation Protective Edge’, claimed many civilian victims and gave rise to numerous mutual accusations of violations of international humanitarian law (IHL). In 2015, a UN Human Rights Council Commission of Inquiry made its findings on violations on IHL and human rights committed in this conflict public and the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced the opening of a preliminary investigation into the situation.

In the framework of the LLM course on IHL given by Professor Marco Sassòli of the Faculty of Law of the University of Geneva, LLM students will plead for Israel and for Palestine arguing that the side they represent has respected IHL while the adverse side has violated IHL.

In front of a jury composed of Professor Marco Sassòli and Elvina Pothelet, teaching assistant at the Geneva Academy, students (whose roles were attributed by the lot) will plead on:

• The classification of the conflict and of Gaza as a territory
• The blockade of Gaza and Israel’s obligations concerning humanitarian needs
• The targeting of persons and objects and weapons used
• Proportionality and precautions in attacks
• The opportunities and obstacles of criminal proceedings before the ICC

Registration

The public is welcome to attend the pleadings which will be performed in English (except on the first issue, which will be discussed in French) and can register via the online form.