Natasha Hausdorff - 'Israel on Trial' Conference March 2023

Natasha Hausdorff, a barrister in London and a Director of UK Lawyers for Israel, addresses the question ‘What are the border of the State of Israel?. In her speech, she argues that Israel’s international standing has been harmed by the application of double standards and the continuing misrepresentations of international law. The universal rule for determining borders for emerging states dictates that such states are established with the same boundaries of the prior administrative entity in that land unless otherwise agreed. The rule has been consistently applied. Under this principle of international law, Hausdorff argues, Israel automatically inherited the mandatory boundaries as its own borders. While parts of these territories (e.g. the Westbank) are politically disputed, the correct legal principle to be applied is clear and the term “annexation” is fundamentally misconceived as a State cannot annex its own sovereign territory.