In a television interview for the Dutch regional broadcaster Omroep West, I spoke about the history of The Hague as a city of peace and justice.
Exactly 125 years ago, the First Hague Peace Conference concluded with the adoption of new international treaties which codified the laws of war and enabled the establishment of international courts.
In the interview, I explain that the ideas are still relevant today: ‘The dream of The Hague is a world in which international law leads to peace. We haven’t reached such a world, and therefore we need to continue to work towards it.’
Omroep West mentions the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion on Israel, which argued that Israel is responsible for violations of international law and must end its occupation of Palestinian territories.
‘An interesting aspect is that the Court relies heavily on the rules of the Hague Peace Conferences. The rules on occupation were codified in 1907 and are now being applied by the Court.’
Interview in the news show West Vandaag of 29 May.
Detailed article at Omroep West.