By Brian Brivati
Executive Director, Britain Palestine Project, 9 May, 2025
On 8 May, 2025, the Britain Palestine Project/King’s College London conference on the “Rule of Law and Justice in the Middle East – Focus on Palestine” brought together academics, legal experts, diplomats and humanitarians to examine the ongoing crisis in Palestine through the lens of international law and justice.
Major themes included the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza caused by the Israeli military response to the 7 Oct atrocities perpetrated by Hamas and on-going hostage situation, the erosion of international legal norms by Israeli impunity and the urgent need for accountability and policy change. Speakers underscored that Israel’s current military actions in Gaza – described as “genocide” by multiple participants – and its prolonged occupation of Palestinian territory violate fundamental principles of international law.
The conference emphasised Britain’s historical and moral responsibility in Palestine, calling for the UK to step up its advocacy for justice and to align its policies with international law. Key conclusions were that mere rhetoric, and “hand-wringing” are inadequate; concrete measures such as recognising Palestinian statehood, enforcing international humanitarian law and ending the culture of impunity – are urgently required to move towards a just peace.
Watch conference sessions here.
The action points that emerged from the conference.
A Conference Action Plan – a longer paper putting these action points into the context of current UK government policy.