Settler Violence as State Wrongful Act and Third State Obligations

This post provides a brief legal assessment – within the provisions of the law of occupation – on Third States obligations to take measures against Israeli settler violence. In this post, I build on the study Violence and State Attribution: The Case of Occupied Palestine and the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion of July 2024 on Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. I briefly discuss the legal basis on which Third States must prevent, stop and punish settler violence as a form of State atrocities. I argue that these sanctions imposed by a few countries are insufficient and misplaced. Additionally, they are redirecting State attributed internationally wrongful acts to a handful of individuals – designated as terrorists – while allowing the State itself to carry on and allowing such acts.