The Occupied Palestinian Territory and international humanitarian law: a response to Peter Maurer

In his article ‘Challenges to international humanitarian law: Israel's occupation policy’, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mr Peter Maurer, addresses the challenges that the application of international humanitarian law (IHL) faces in the Middle East in general and in the context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in particular. Mr Maurer focuses on three main issues in relation to Israel's military occupation of the Palestinian territory: East Jerusalem, settlements and the Annexation Wall. Furthermore, he touches on the ICRC's confidentiality policy and suggests that the ICRC engage in public dialogue with parties to the conflict, especially when confidential dialogue fails to improve the lives of the affected people.