UK Lawyers for Israel

If the allegations against Israel are legally unfounded, why can’t Israel simply sue? In this extract from our latest interview, UKLFI Charitable Trust Legal Director Natasha Hausdorff addresses a question frequently raised in response to her Spectator article, The Israeli settlements lie. Natasha explains why states and government institutions cannot bring defamation claims, a principle designed to protect the right to criticise governments. She also discusses the legal immunities enjoyed by many international organisations, including UN bodies, and the difficulties these create when seeking to hold them accountable. She argues that the absence of a legal route to sue should not be mistaken for evidence that the allegations are justified. The wider interview examines Natasha’s challenge to prevailing interpretations of international law concerning Israeli settlements, including Israel’s borders, the status of Judea and Samaria, and Article 49(6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention. #uklfi #israel #natashahausdorff #judeaandsamaria

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Natasha Hausdorff rebuts critics of her Spectator article on Israeli settlements and international law. Following the publication of The Israeli settlements lie, UKLFI Charitable Trust Legal Director Natasha Hausdorff addresses challenges to her legal arguments concerning Israel’s borders, the status of Judea and Samaria, and the Fourth Geneva Convention. In this new interview, we put some of the principal objections directly to Natasha, giving her the opportunity to explain and defend her conclusions in greater detail. She examines the legal principle of uti possidetis juris, Israel’s borders following independence in 1948, and why she argues that Article 49(6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention has been incorrectly applied to Israeli settlements. The discussion also covers the Oslo Accords, Israel’s administration of Area C, government support for settlements and relevant Israeli Supreme Court judgments. Finally, Natasha addresses the distinction between legitimate criticism of Israeli policy and discrimination against Jews, explaining why she considers the selective application of international law to be a fundamental inversion of its principles. Watch the full interview here:

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UKLFI Charitable Trust invites you to a webinar on "NAZA – Unpacking False Claims about Nezek Agavi and International Law" with Lt. Col. (Ret.) Sarit Zehavi and Natasha Hausdorff on Monday 28 September at 5pm UK time (7pm Israel, 6pm Europe, 12.00 ET) A film called “Naza” received a 25-minute standing ovation on its premiere at the Venice Film Festival on 10 September 2026 and was awarded the Special Jury Prize. “Naza” is the acronym of “Nezek Agavi”, the Hebrew term for “collateral damage”. The film has not yet been publicly released. However, reports about it suggest that it may misrepresent the processes used by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to consider the risk of civilian casualties when deciding whether to strike military targets. Lt. Col. (Ret.) Sarit Zehavi played a major role in developing processes used by the IDF to minimise civilian casualties. In this webinar, she will explain these processes, their purposes, and the dilemmas faced when fighting armed forces operating in civilian areas. This webinar will also address the legal framework provided by International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and how it applies in relation to these processes. To register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QCA7DXdzQZOEPqQRDgl_mg

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A century before October 7, the Jewish community of Hebron was devastated by a massacre that Yardena Schwartz argues holds vital lessons for understanding the conflict today. Yardena is an award-winning journalist and the author of Ghosts of a Holy War: The 1929 Massacre in Palestine That Ignited the Arab-Israeli Conflict, which investigates the massacre and its enduring legacy. In this extract from our webinar, Yardena draws striking parallels between the Hebron massacre of 1929 and the Hamas attacks of October 7, examining the role of religious incitement, allegations surrounding Al-Aqsa and the targeting of Jewish civilians. But she also highlights another important parallel: Muslims who risked their own lives to save Jews during both atrocities. As Yardena concludes: “This holy war is not between Judaism and Islam. It is between those who weaponize religion and glorify violence and those who seek peace.” This is an extract from our webinar, The 1929 Hebron Massacre: The Story the World Refuses to Confront, with Yardena Schwartz and UKLFI Charitable Trust Legal Director Natasha Hausdorff. #uklfi #israel

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