The allegiance of governments in the Global North to international law (sometimes endorsed in reductionist form as “the rules-based international order”) is currently experiencing an abrupt collapse. Since 2022, the Global North has based its support for Ukraine largely on the fact that the Russian war of aggression blatantly violates international law. In contrast, some northern governments remain reluctant to criticize Israel’s massive violations of international law in the Gaza Strip. Germany, for one, continues to supply Israel with weapons; the Chancellor invited Netanyahu to Germany and questioned its obligations under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. For the time being, the procedure to suspend the EU-Israel association agreement has not been launched because of German resistance. The “reason of state” doctrine prevails over international law.
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