It’s Systemic: How International Law Fails to Protect Civilians

The Israeli genocide in Gaza is entering its 22rd month, with a staggering toll of dead and wounded continuing to rise every day. Throughout the war, the U.S. and many European nations have acted as shields for Israel—defending it against legal scrutiny, providing diplomatic and political support, and continuing to fund and arm its military assault.

Drop Site’s Murtaza Hussain is joined by Anand Gopal, a journalist focused on the region and the author of the forthcoming book on Syria, “Days of Love and Rage.”

Gopal discusses the history of the laws of war and systemic problems in the international legal system. If the laws of war are not able to protect civilians during conflicts, what are they good for? As Gopal explains, the genocide in Gaza exposes the underlying contradictions of the international legal system. Even though there are laws on the books, the international arbiters supposed to enforce them are made up of the belligerent states themselves. Hussain and Gopal discuss the international legal order and how the system itself makes civilian deaths inevitable.

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