Israel – Hamas 2023 Symposium – The Law of Truce

Israel – Hamas 2023 Symposium – The Law of Truce

Israel – Hamas 2023 Symposium – The Law of Truce On November 9, 2023, Israel announced it would periodically “pause military operations” in its war in Gaza, just over a month after Hamas’s shocking attack precipitated the latest round of escalatory violence in the...
The U.S. Turkish Drone Shootdown Over Syria and the Jus Ad Bellum

The U.S. Turkish Drone Shootdown Over Syria and the Jus Ad Bellum

The U.S. Turkish Drone Shootdown Over Syria and the Jus Ad Bellum In early October, the United States shot down an armed Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) operating over Syrian airspace with an F-16 fighter jet. The aerial engagement was unusual, if not...
Israel – Hamas 2023 Symposium – Distinction and Humanitarian Aid in the Gaza Conflict

Israel – Hamas 2023 Symposium – Distinction and Humanitarian Aid in the Gaza Conflict

Israel – Hamas 2023 Symposium – Distinction and Humanitarian Aid in the Gaza Conflict It is axiomatic that commanders are required to discriminate between civilians and combatants when attacking enemy positions. However, the difficulty in discriminating between...
2023 DoD Manual Revision – Redefining Doubt

2023 DoD Manual Revision – Redefining Doubt

2023 DoD Manual Revision – Redefining Doubt The third edition of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Law of War Manual, updated in December 2016, rejected the customary international law status of the legal presumption of civilian status for persons and objects in...
Israel – Hamas 2023 Symposium – What is and is not Human Shielding?

Israel – Hamas 2023 Symposium – What is and is not Human Shielding?

Israel – Hamas 2023 Symposium – What is and is not Human Shielding? The use of human shields is looming large in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. President Biden has on numerous occasions charged Hamas with using civilians as human shields, as has European...