Palestine and the Limits of International Law

Socialism Conference

Noura Erakat speaks in this session recorded at Socialism 2024. Since the early 20th century, Palestinians have leveled a racial and anti-colonial critique of Zionism. That critique crystallized vividly during the apex of Third World Revolt particularly in the UN General Assembly Resolution 3379 condemning Zionism as a form of racism and racial discrimination. While the Oslo Agreement offered Israel a lifeline to protect its Zionist settler sovereignty, the State incrementally and steadily dismantled the prospect of a Palestinian state. In 2020, several legacy human rights organizations echoed the Palestinian critique of Israel following Israel’s passage of the Nation-State Law declaring that only Jews have the right to self-determination in Palestine making clear that Israel intended to be the only sovereign between the River and the Sea. This history and analysis seemed to fall by the wayside after October 7th, which lifted Gaza outside of geographical and political context and suggested that history began in 2023. This lecture will discuss this historical development with an eye on the Palestinian intellectual and political tradition in order to offer commentary on the limits of international law in this moment. The next Socialism Conference will be held in Chicago, July 3-6. Learn more about the Socialism Conference at www.socialismconference.org. Buy books from Haymarket: www.haymarketbooks.org Follow Haymarket on podcast platforms for regular event recordings, book talks, political analyses and poetry readings!