The Law Applicable to Non-Occupied Gaza: A Comment on Bassiouni v. Prime Minster of Israel

19 Pages Posted: 28 Feb 2009

See all articles by Yuval Shany

Yuval Shany

Hebrew University of Jerusalem - Faculty of Law and Institute of Criminology; Israel Democracy Institute

Date Written: February 27, 2009

Abstract

On 30 January 2008, the Israeli Supreme Court rendered its decision in Bassiouni v. Prime Minister - a case dealing with a challenge to the legality of cuts in the supply of electricity and fuel to Gaza. These cuts, together with trade and travel restrictions, were decided upon by Israel's security cabinet in September 2007 as a reaction to the assumption of power by Hamas in Gaza and the escalation of rocket and mortar attacks from the Gaza Strip to adjacent Israeli towns and villages

This note analyzes and assesses the findings reaching by the Court in paragraph 12 of the Bassiouni judgment that contains the Court's position on the applicable legal framework against which the sanctions should be evaluated. The Court identified in this paragraph certain factors that allegedly justify the imposition - in subsequent parts of the judgment - of a duty on Israel to continue and provide some basic supplies to Gaza. But, although this outcome may be intuitively right and just, the Court did not carefully explain the legal theory which connects (a) the factual relations that characterize the relations between Israel and Gaza; to (b) Israel's legal obligations vis-a-vis Gaza. Hence, the full implications of the decision are unclear and invite further analysis.

The present note seeks to fill some of the gaps in the Court's judgment. It examines the Supreme Court's position that Gaza is no longer occupied and discusses three possible bases for imposing on Israel certain duties towards the residents of Gaza notwithstanding the end of occupation: obligations under international humanitarian laws (IHL) which ensue from the conclusion that Gaza is a non-occupied territory but subject to a state of siege, extra-territorial application international human rights law to the situation in Gaza, and possible post-occupation obligations.

Keywords: Gaza, Occupation, IHL

Suggested Citation

Shany, Yuval, The Law Applicable to Non-Occupied Gaza: A Comment on Bassiouni v. Prime Minster of Israel (February 27, 2009). Hebrew University International Law Research Paper No. 13-09, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1350307 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1350307

Yuval Shany (Contact Author)

Hebrew University of Jerusalem - Faculty of Law and Institute of Criminology ( email )

Mount Scopus
Mount Scopus, IL 91905
Israel
972 2 5882541 (Phone)
972 2 5823042 (Fax)

Israel Democracy Institute ( email )

4 Pinsker St.
Jerusalem
Israel

HOME PAGE: http://www.idi.org.il

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
1,145
Abstract Views
5,552
Rank
34,485
PlumX Metrics