Publications on Law and National Security

The military and political arenas are closely linked in Israel’s fight against terrorist and guerrilla organizations. Israel is a democratic country subject to legal and moral constraints and restraints, and therefore, when it initiates a military operation against such organizations, its justifications are important, as they will later affect its international legitimacy or lack thereof. This article discusses the Iron Dome system, which is designed to provide active protection for Israeli citizens. It attempts to answer...

The processes that led to the Second Lebanon War and the events that took place during the war are analyzed six years after the war. The starting point for the analysis is the withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, which, according to the analysis, was justified. However, from a broad perspective, it is evident that the overall processes since the withdrawal led to strategic choices that resulted in the IDF’s reduced operational preparedness. The article examines the decision making processes near the start of and during the course of the...

Israel and the EU recentlyreached a last minute compromise enabling Israel to join the EU’s research anddevelopment program, Horizon 2020. Nonetheless, the EU guidelines adoptedearlier this year relating to the settlements in the West Bank will likelycontinue to jeopardize Israel’s international economic interests. In anotherdevelopment regarding Israel’s international legitimacy, nearly three years after the Israeli takeover ofthe ship Mavi Marmara, the Comoros Islands, where the ship wasregistered, filed a complaint against Israel...

The emergence of new security threats to the international community has led to a fundamental reevaluation of the contemporary international legal order. The events of September 11, 2001 in particular heralded thebeginning of an age of terror, characterized by the fear that terrorist groups could acquire and use weapons of mass destruction (WMD) against their targets. The ensuing war against transnational terrorism and proliferation of WMD is a new type of warfare, posing unique threats and unparalleled security challenges to the...

When taking crucial decisions, nations strike a balance between moral, strategic, and legal considerations. In response to the Syrian government’s use of chemical weapons in the August 21, 2013 attack that killed over 1,000 civilians, the United States is considering launching a limited military strike against Syria. However, absent authorization by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the international legal basis underlying such a military operation is far from clear-cut. This article analyzes briefly the formal legal...