Israel’s Knesset yesterday passed a controversial “Basic Law” providing:Torah study is a fundamental value in the heritage of the Jewish people and in the State of Israel.According to Times of Israel:The legislation makes Torah study the only value explicitly
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Whose permission counts? Rethinking abortion access through the lens of authorization
By Owenschaefer
By Shizuko Takahashi
A law permits abortion. A court has ruled, or a legislature has voted. Legality appears settled. But for the pregnant person in front of a clinician, legality is often not enough. Someone still has to authorize the…
The Iran War and International Shipping: Navigating Disruption and Legal Risk in the International Shipping and Logistics Industries
Keith B. Letourneau, Natalie M. Radabaugh, and G. Evan Spencer ● The escalation of armed conflict involving the United States, Israel, Iran, and certain Gulf states following coordinated U.S.-Israeli airstrikes in late February 2026 has significantly and immediately impacted international shipping…
Israel’s Military Ad-hoc Court for October 7: Abdicating Truth and Justice
For decades, Israel prided itself on an ostensibly independent and professional civilian legal system, but when it came to prosecuting the accused of the October 7 attack, it chose to establish an ad-hoc military court. The Law for the Prosecution…
UN upholds freedom of movement for peacekeepers in Lebanon amidst ongoing regional hostilities
The United Nations on Thursday renewed its call for full freedom of movement for peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, warning that restrictions on the operations of UNIFIL (UN Interim Force in Lebanon) could undermine efforts to monitor one of the region’s…
When Blockade Goes Global: The Sumud Flotilla Interceptions and the Legality of Israel’s Gaza Blockade
In the early hours of 30 April 2026, Israeli naval forces boarded 22 vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla near Crete, roughly 600 nautical miles from Gaza and apprehending approximately 175 civilian activists. A few weeks later, on 19…
CERD’s May 2026 Statement on Israel’s Death Penalty Law: On the Silence of Other Treaty Bodies and On a Missed Rendez-Vous with The Hague
On 29 April 2026, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) expressed alarm at Israel’s “Death Penalty for Terrorists Law,” urging its immediate repeal, and situating the rolling back of a long-standing de facto moratorium on…
European Council adopts further sanctions against Israel extremist groups
The European Council on Thursday adopted measures against extremist Israeli settlers, in an effort to curb human rights abuses against Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank.
The restrictive measures were issued under the EU Global Human Rights Sanction Regime,…
Russia, Israel, and the Trade in Stolen Ukrainian Grain: A Legal Analysis
By Philipp Kehl
In April 2026, relations between Ukraine and Israel were shaken by a considerable diplomatic crisis. In contrast to Ukraine’s recent quarrel with Hungary over the (likely illegal) interception and seizure of a Ukrainian money transport by Hungarian authorities,…
Moving beyond the “Balance Sheet”: How narrative ethics can inform judicial deliberations on treatment refusal
By Owenschaefer
By Prof. Adv. Maya Peled Raz
Too often, when courts face the question of forced medical treatment for individuals under guardianship, the conversation quickly narrows to clinical calculations of risk and benefit. As a legal expert and clinical ethics consultant…