Jews, Sovereignty, and International Law: Ideology and Ambivalence in Early Israeli Legal Diplomacy

Rotem Giladi's book challenges the cosmopolitan outlook of Jewish international law scholars and practitioners by revealing the ambivalence of two jurist-diplomats towards three international law reform projects. It demonstrates that their disinterest towards international law was driven by ideological sensibilities predating Israel's establishment, providing new insights into the origins of human rights, the remaking of postwar international law, and the early years of the UN.

Format: Hardback
Length: 368 pages
Publication date: 15 July 2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Rotem Giladi's groundbreaking work challenges prevailing assumptions about the cosmopolitan outlook of Jewish international law scholars and practitioners. By departing from accounts of a universalist component in Israel's early foreign policy, Giladi offers fresh perspectives on modern Jewish history and critiques orthodox interpretations of Israel's foreign policy. Drawing on extensive archival sources, the book unveils the nuanced ambivalence of two jurist-diplomats, Jacob Robinson, and Shabtai Rosenne, towards three international law reform projects: the right of petition in the draft Human Rights Covenant, the 1948 Genocide Convention, and the 1951 Refugee Convention. Despite their disinterest, aversion, and hostility towards international law, Rosenne and Robinson dedicated considerable time and effort to these post-war reforms. The book demonstrates that Rosenne and Robinson's ambivalence towards international law was rooted in ideological sensibilities predating Israel's establishment. By disaggregating and reframing the perspectives offered by the growing scholarship on Jewish international lawyers, Jews, Sovereignty, and International Law provides new insights into the origins of human rights, the remaking of postwar international law, and the early years of the United Nations. This thought-provoking work challenges readers to reevaluate their understanding of Jewish international law and its role in shaping the global legal landscape.

Weight: 694g
Dimension: 165 x 242 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780198857396