The UNRWA Opinion: The ICJ, the future of the UN system and ... K-Pop Demon Hunters?
In this episode of Called to the Bar: International Law Over Drinks, host Dr Juliette McIntyre (University of South Australia) is joined by Dr Tamer Morris (University of Sydney) for a dive into the International Court of Justice’s recent advisory opinion on the Obligations of Israel in relation to the Presence and Activities of the United Nations, Other International Organizations and Third States in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory — better known as the UNRWA Opinion.
The conversation explores what the Court actually said about the legal consequences of Israel’s ongoing occupation and the corresponding duties of third states and international organizations. Juliette and Tamer unpack how the ICJ approached questions of sovereignty, occupation, and self-determination, and how this opinion builds upon—or departs from—the Court’s earlier 2004 Wall Advisory Opinion.
Along the way, they discuss:
- The Court’s reaffirmation of the illegality of prolonged occupation and annexation;
- The obligations of non-recognition and non-assistance for third states;
- The implications for UN agencies such as UNRWA;
- The future of international law, regionalism and the UN system; and
- K-Pop Demon Hunters.
As always, these are informal conversations over drinks, reflecting the personal views of the participants and not those of their institutions.
Recommendations:
Marco Longobardo, The Use of Armed Force in Occupied Territory, https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/use-of-armed-force-in-occupied-territory/E3BFD67926CE0BF856E08277D6218C7C
Strong Girl Bong-soon (K-drama) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6263222/
Goblin (or Guardian: The Lonely and Great God) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5994364/
When Life Gives You Tangerines (extreme sad feelings warning) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26471411/
Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of Au Lait
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The UNRWA Opinion: The ICJ, the future of the UN system and ... K-Pop Demon Hunters?
In this episode of Called to the Bar: International Law Over Drinks, host Dr Juliette McIntyre (University of South Australia) is joined by Dr Tamer Morris (University of Sydney) for a dive into the International Court of Justice’s recent advisory opinion on the Obligations of Israel in relation to the Presence and Activities of the United Nations, Other International Organizations and Third States in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory — better known as the UNRWA Opinion.
The conversation explores what the Court actually said about the legal consequences of Israel’s ongoing occupation and the corresponding duties of third states and international organizations. Juliette and Tamer unpack how the ICJ approached questions of sovereignty, occupation, and self-determination, and how this opinion builds upon—or departs from—the Court’s earlier 2004 Wall Advisory Opinion.
Along the way, they discuss:
- The Court’s reaffirmation of the illegality of prolonged occupation and annexation;
- The obligations of non-recognition and non-assistance for third states;
- The implications for UN agencies such as UNRWA;
- The future of international law, regionalism and the UN system; and
- K-Pop Demon Hunters.
As always, these are informal conversations over drinks, reflecting the personal views of the participants and not those of their institutions.
Recommendations:
Marco Longobardo, The Use of Armed Force in Occupied Territory, https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/use-of-armed-force-in-occupied-territory/E3BFD67926CE0BF856E08277D6218C7C
Strong Girl Bong-soon (K-drama) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6263222/
Goblin (or Guardian: The Lonely and Great God) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5994364/
When Life Gives You Tangerines (extreme sad feelings warning) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26471411/
Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of Au Lait
52. Recusal, Impartiality, and Judicial Ideology at the ICJ
Called to the Bar: International Law over Drinks
55 minutes 37 seconds
1 month ago
52. Recusal, Impartiality, and Judicial Ideology at the ICJ
In this episode of Called to the Bar: International Law Over Drinks, host Associate Professor Ntina Tzouvala (UNSW Sydney) is joined by Dr Juliette McIntyre (University of South Australia) and guest Dr Victor Kattan (University of Nottingham) to explore the fraught question of judicial impartiality and recusal at the International Court of Justice.
Prompted by Judge Julia Sebutinde’s controversial remarks in August 2025—suggesting she was “counting on the Lord to stand on the side of Israel” while sitting on the South Africa v. Israel genocide case – the panel dives into the rules of the ICJ Statute on recusals, impartiality, and whether judges can ever be removed from a case against their will.
Drawing on Juliette’s procedure goblin insights and Victor’s expertise in ICJ history, the discussion revisits the South West Africa cases of the 1960s, where judicial ideology and political pressure collided in one of the Court’s most notorious recusal controversies. Alongside this, the conversation probes the tension between law, politics, and personal conviction in shaping the legitimacy of the world court.
As always, these are informal conversations over drinks, reflecting the personal views of the participants and not those of their institutions.
Recommendations:
1. On Spender: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/leiden-journal-of-international-law/article/abs/there-was-an-elephant-in-the-court-room-reflections-on-the-role-of-judge-sir-percy-spender-18971985-in-the-south-west-africa-cases-19601966-after-half-a-century/0F8164A4630662420062B787999C6AF1
2. On Khan: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/asian-journal-of-international-law/article/abs/decolonizing-the-international-court-of-justice-the-experience-of-judge-sir-muhammad-zafrulla-khan-in-the-south-west-africa-cases/21CEB7D6DFE3E72CDEB7EA293D37A570
3. On the UK and judge elections at the ICJ: https://law.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/4019478/14Kattan-unpaginated.pdf
4. On judicial independence at the international level: https://find.library.unisa.edu.au/discovery/fulldisplay/alma9916026974801831/61USOUTHAUS_INST:ROR
Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of Au Lait
Called to the Bar: International Law over Drinks
The UNRWA Opinion: The ICJ, the future of the UN system and ... K-Pop Demon Hunters?
In this episode of Called to the Bar: International Law Over Drinks, host Dr Juliette McIntyre (University of South Australia) is joined by Dr Tamer Morris (University of Sydney) for a dive into the International Court of Justice’s recent advisory opinion on the Obligations of Israel in relation to the Presence and Activities of the United Nations, Other International Organizations and Third States in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory — better known as the UNRWA Opinion.
The conversation explores what the Court actually said about the legal consequences of Israel’s ongoing occupation and the corresponding duties of third states and international organizations. Juliette and Tamer unpack how the ICJ approached questions of sovereignty, occupation, and self-determination, and how this opinion builds upon—or departs from—the Court’s earlier 2004 Wall Advisory Opinion.
Along the way, they discuss:
- The Court’s reaffirmation of the illegality of prolonged occupation and annexation;
- The obligations of non-recognition and non-assistance for third states;
- The implications for UN agencies such as UNRWA;
- The future of international law, regionalism and the UN system; and
- K-Pop Demon Hunters.
As always, these are informal conversations over drinks, reflecting the personal views of the participants and not those of their institutions.
Recommendations:
Marco Longobardo, The Use of Armed Force in Occupied Territory, https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/use-of-armed-force-in-occupied-territory/E3BFD67926CE0BF856E08277D6218C7C
Strong Girl Bong-soon (K-drama) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6263222/
Goblin (or Guardian: The Lonely and Great God) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5994364/
When Life Gives You Tangerines (extreme sad feelings warning) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26471411/
Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of Au Lait
