Pierre H. Guignard

The two legally significant statements made by Foreign Secretary @FCDOGovUK Miliband @Ed_Miliband this afternoon deserve particular attention. First, the United Kingdom has now stated formally and publicly that Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territory is unlawful. It is an official expression of the UK’s legal position, and therefore relevant evidence of opinio juris, aligning the Government with the central conclusion of the @CIJ_ICJ 2024 Advisory Opinion: Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful, arising from serious violations of peremptory norms of international law, including the prohibition on the acquisition of territory by force. Second, the UK expressly acknowledged the findings of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry @UN_HRC, stating that its conclusions form part of the “increasing evidence” that war crimes appear to have been committed in Gaza since 2023, and affirming support for legal processes determining responsibility. These are not incidental changes of language. They mark a significant clarification of the United Kingdom’s legal position: on the unlawfulness of Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, and on the mounting evidence of atrocity crimes committed in Gaza.