Why International Law Failed in Palestine
For more than seventy years, international law has claimed to offer a framework for justice, accountability, and the protection of civilians in Palestine. In reality, the conflict stands as one of the clearest examples of how global legal systems collapse when confronted with raw geopolitical power. What has failed is not the law itself, but the wi
llingness of states to enforce it consistently. The legal position is not ambiguous. The United Nations, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and major human rights organizations have repeatedly affirmed that occupation, settlement expansion, collective punishment, and attacks on civilians violate international law. UN Security Council Resolution 2334 declared Israeli settlements in occupied territory illegal . The ICJ has reaffirmed the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention to the occupied Palestinian territories. These are not radical interpretations; they are mainstream legal conclusions. Yet enforcement has been absent. The UN Security Council, the only body with binding enforcement authority, has been paralyzed by veto power. Political alliances— particularly involving permanent members have blocked sanctions, accountability mechanisms or even ceasefire demands. International law, in practice, has been applied selectively, undermining its credibility and authority. Humanitarian law has fared no better. Repeated warnings from the United Nations about civilian harm, blocked aid, and disproportionate force have produced little action beyond statements of concern. Investigations are launched, reports are published, but consequences rarely follow. The message is clear: violations may be documented but they will not necessarily be punished. This failure has broader implications. When international law is enforced against weaker actors but suspended for stronger ones, it ceases to function as law and becomes a political tool. The Palestinian case has exposed a global order where rules exist, but power decides when they apply. The collapse of legal accountability in Palestine is not an isolated failure. It signals a deeper crisis in the international system— one where norms are eroded, institutions are weakened and justice is subordinated to strategy. Until international law is enforced without exception or favoritism, it will remain an aspiration rather than a safeguard, and the promise of a rules-based world order will continue to ring hollow. Sources: United Nations Security Council, International Court of Justice, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reuters