HRW: International Law and Responding to Gaza

The conduct of Israel and Hamas in this year’s war on Gaza, resulting in over 1100 dead in Gaza and 8 dead in Israel, has come under intense scrutiny – and criticism – from human rights organizations and most recently, from the UN Human Rights Council’s investigative team, led by jurist Richard Goldstone.


Sarah Leah Whitson, Director of the Middle East & North Africa Division, Human Rights Watch, will present her organization’s findings on the war in Gaza , on which they have released 6 reports to date, assessing the extent to which Israel and Hamas complied with the laws of war. She will describe the research conducted by the organization in Gaza and Israel and the obstacles it has faced in carrying out its work; the methodology used to establish its conclusions; and the advocacy efforts it has undertaken to focus attention on the recent war. Whitson will present a short documentary video (8 mins) on one particular aspect of the war – the use of white phosphorous in civilian areas – to give a flavor of how the organization gathers evidence from the battlefield, in this case.
What: Special event with Sarah Leah Whitson from Human Rights Watch
When: Thursday, November 19th from 12:45 pm to 1:45 pm
Where: YWCA, 2600 Bancroft Way (Bancroft and Bowditch)
Lunch provided.


Sponsored by: Law Students for Justice in Palestine, the Boalt Hall Committee for Human Rights; Co-sponsored by the UC Berkeley Human Rights Center, Berkeley Journal of International Law, Berkeley Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Law, International Law Society, and National Lawyers Guild (Boalt Chapter).