Springer Law, Politics and Violence in Israel/Palestine (International Political Theory)

This book investigates the Israeli engagement with international law in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) between 1967 and 2009. Grounded in a field-based study of the military International Law Department, it examines the dynamic position and impact that international law has had in the OPT. By analysing the Israeli 2008/9 offensive in Gaza as an example of contemporary warfare, the author argues that law and military agenda have become intertwined in ‘lawfare’, a condition sanctioning new forms of law and violence. The military legal system is central to the Israeli management of the OPT, yet despite the great interest in the legal aspects of the Israeli occupation, scholarly accounts of this institution are scarce. This discussion also has wider international relevance, particularly in the backdrop of the contemporary prominence of international law in Western militaries’ operations. This book will appeal to researchers, practitioners and students interested in international relations, political theory, human rights, Middle Eastern politics, and legal studies. Review “Maayan Geva brilliantly depicts the self-serving manipulation of International Humanitarian Law by Israel to expand the scope of permissible violence in combat situations. This book is an invaluable guide to the interplay of war and law under contemporary conditions, with implications reaching far beyond Israel/Palestine.” (Richard Falk, Emeritus Milbank Professor of International Law, Princeton University, USA) “International humanitarian law is generally thought of as a constraint on harming civilians, but Maayan Geva challenges this conventional notion. Examining the unprecedented 2008-9 attack on Gaza, she develops a compelling case that Israel has pioneered the use of international law to enable violence against civilians. This empirically and theoretically rich account is essential reading for anyone interested in law, war and lawfare.” (Martin Shaw, author of “The New Western Way of War”) From the Back Cover This book investigates the Israeli engagement with international law in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) between 1967 and 2009. Grounded in a field-based study of the military International Law Department, it examines the dynamic position and impact that international law has had in the OPT. By analysing the Israeli 2008/9 offensive in Gaza as an example of contemporary warfare, the author argues that law and military agenda have become intertwined in ‘lawfare’, a condition sanctioning new forms of law and violence. The military legal system is central to the Israeli management of the OPT, yet despite the great interest in the legal aspects of the Israeli occupation, scholarly accounts of this institution are scarce. This discussion also has wider international relevance, particularly in the backdrop of the contemporary prominence of international law in Western militaries’ operations. This book will appeal to researchers, practitioners and students interested in international relations, political theory, human rights, Middle Eastern politics, and legal studies. About the Author Maayan Geva is Lecturer in the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Roehampton, UK. She completed her PhD in Politics and International Studies at the Open University and has worked as a researcher for B’tselem – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Maayan was selected as the runner up for the 2016 Leigh Douglas Memorial Prize from the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies