Justice in the
Question of Palestine is often framed as a question of law. Yet none
of the Israel-Palestinian conflict's most vexing challenges have been
resolved by judicial intervention. Occupation law has failed to stem
Israel's settlement enterprise. Laws of war have permitted killing
and destruction during Israel's military offensives in the Gaza
Strip. The Oslo Accord's two-state solution is now dead letter.
Justice for Some
offers a new approach to understanding the Palestinian struggle for
freedom, told through the power and control of international law.
Focusing on key junctures—from the Balfour Declaration in 1917 to
present-day wars in Gaza—Noura Erakat shows how the strategic
deployment of law has shaped current conditions. Over the past
century, the law has done more to advance Israel's interests than the
Palestinians'. But, Erakat argues, this outcome was never inevitable.
Law is politics, and
its meaning and application depend on the political intervention of
states and people alike. Within the law, change is possible.
International law can serve the cause of freedom when it is mobilized
in support of a political movement. Presenting the promise and risk
of international law, Justice for Some calls for renewed action and
attention to the Question of Palestine.