Gaza/Israel File

Dr Jeff Handmaker spoke on Belgian Radio (VRT Max) for the news programme De Wereld Vandaag (in Dutch, login required) on 20 May 2025, sharing his expertise on the crime of genocide, and the responsibilities of states to prevent the crime of genocide and to hold states and individuals accountable, according to international law.

Dr Jeff Handmaker (ISS), Dr Anya Topolski (Radboud University Nijmegen), Professor Yolande Jansen (VU/UvA) and Dr Michiel Bot (Tilburg University), have published an Op-Ed in the mainstream Dutch Newspaper Trouw, regarding their concerns over the vague mandate and composition of the recently-established 'Antisemitism Taskforce' in the Netherlands.

'Opinie: Taskforce tegen antisemitisme kan alleen maar schade aanrichten' 

Resistance agriculture: Farmers, land and legal mobilisation in Palestine - call for abstracts to a symposium in May 2025

Professor Thea Hilhorst participates in the NOS Radio Programme 'Dit is de Dag' (in Dutch, from timestamp 17:13).

Twelve months of ongoing genocide in Palestine - Open letter by members of the ISS community.

'The International Court of Justice will determine whether Israel commits genocide, why is that important?' - Interview with Professor Karin Arts in Erasmus Magazine.

Pension funds invest billions in companies that profit from Israeli settlements - Jeff Handmaker interviewed for article on Dutch website Follow the Money (article in Dutch).

Rise of Academic Boycotts – 1 year on since the Israel Palestine conflict – Do Boycotts work? - Interview with Dr Jeff Handmaker on Voice of Islam (from 1:28:43).

'Genocide-free' cola makes a splash in the United Kingdom - Dr Jeff Handmaker comments on consumer boycotts of big-names colas operating in Israel.

Gaza and Lebanon: One year on(going): On 17 October, ISS and EUR are co-organizing a symposium of Palestinian and Lebanese voices on the events in the region.

War as an indicator of the collapse of the values of human rights and law, blog post by Khaled Quzmar (director of Defence for Childrene International and Tom Ansell from the International Humanitarian Studies Association

Dutch Radio 1 interview with Professor Thea Hilhorst on the pro-Palestinian protests in universities (in Dutch)

Dr Jeff Handmaker contributes to an article in Dutch newspaper NRC about Spain's attempts to convince other countries to recognise Palestine as a country. 'Sanchez wil erkenning van Palestina, EU is verdeeld' (in Dutch only).

You can also read the article on the NRC website.

'Dangerous deceptions and outright lies: Language in the war on Gaza', in this blog post, former ISS professor Dubravka Zarkov discusses the deceptive language by Israel's political and military leaders.

Professor Thea Hilhorst organizes a wake in the run-up to Easter for Gaza outside the Dutch Houses of Parliament. It is protest against Dutch policy towards the current conflict in the region.

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'Gaza is now threatened by acute famine — we need to keep calling for a ceasefire and food aid concessions' (This post was published as an opinion piece in Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant).

'Give Israel an ultimatum: “A ceasefire, and open the borders for aid, or else”'. (This post was originally published in Dutch).

Two posts by Professor Thea Hilhorst published on ISS blog BlISS about the desperate need for food in Gaza.

'In Gaza staat geen universiteitsgebouw nog overeind'. Contribution by Dr Jeff Handmaker to article in Dutch newspaper NRC on the destruction of universities and schools in Gaza. (Dutch only)

'Silent commemoration on Erasmus Plaza for killed Palestinian academics'. 

Dr Jeff Handmaker was one of the Erasmus University Rotterdam academics to take part in a roundtable discussion on how academics and students can help stop the violence in Gaza. The roundtable was followed by a commemoration of Palestinian academics who have been killed in Gaza as a result of Israeli military violence.

'What can be done to address healthcare violations in Gaza?' Blog post by Dr Jeff Handmaker

Interview with Dr Jeff Handmaker in Dutch broadsheet, Volkskrant, about Palestinian boycotts against Israeli goods. 'Hoe Palestijnse boycots tegen de Israëlische bezetting de dadel in een twistappel veranderen', 2 March (only available in Dutch).

More than 50 countries argue before World Court against Israeli occupation of Palestine - Ahmed Abofoul, research fellow at the International Institute of Social Studies and researcher with Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq, talks to Democracy Now! about the case recently brought before the ICJ by more than 50 countries against Israel's occupation of the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza.

See also this interview with Ahmed Abofoul with Al Jazeera on Instagram

Statement by MA in Development Studies students during their graduation in December 2023. 

Professor Thea Hilhorst gives short interview on Dutch news programme RTL Nieuws about the call by several counties to boycott the UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees after a number of UNRWA employees were accused of being involved in the attacks by Hamas on 7 October 2023. 

Academic freedom and the pro-Israel lobby: Palestine solidarity in the face of apartheid, Book talk on 30 October with Dr Hil Aked and Dr Dina Zbeidy on the repression of free speech and academic freedom.

Watch the replay of Looking back at Gaza at the ICJ: A briefing session - On Friday 12 January 2024 ISS hosted a Briefing Session on the potential implications of South Africa’s case before the International Court of Justice for the ongoing military conflict in Gaza.

Nederlands ‘ontmoedigingsbeleid’ voor handel met Israël: ‘het is in feite een rookgordijn’. Dr Jeff Handmaker discusses the Dutch 'disincentive policy' with Israel in this article in Dutch broadsheet, NRC (in Dutch).

Why did South Africa file a case of genocide before the International Court of Justice against Israel? And what, if anything, will it achieve?

Dr Jeff Handmaker was interviewed for this article in nederlands dagblad. Waar draait de ‘genocidezaak’ van Zuid-Afrika tegen Israël om? En haalt een rechtszaak iets uit?' (in Dutch)

'States have a legal reponsibility to prevent violations of international humanitarian law and to ensure that individuals, including companies, are held accountable.' 

So states Dr Jeff Handmaker in this article about the business activities of Booking.com in Palestinian occupied territories. Read the article in Follow the Money (in Dutch).

ISS alumn, Awni Farhat in an interview with Dutch news site, NOS, with his family in a refugee camp in Gaza. English with Dutch subtitles.

'In supporting Israel’s genocide, Germany has learnt nothing from history' - Blog post by ISS alumna, Josephine Valeske

'The humanitarian crisis in Gaza' - video interview with Professor Thea Hilhorst with the Pakistani Virtual Legal Advisory.

'Feeling uncomfortable is not the same as feeling unsafe' - Letter by Dr Jeff Handmaker in relation to a Teach In he participated in at the Technical University of Delft, in Delta (Journalistic Platform TU Delt).

‘Amnesty: inzet witte fosfor Israël in Libanon onderzoeken als oorlogsmisdrijf’ (transl. Amnesty: Use of white phosphorous in Lebanon is being investigated as a war crime) - contribution by Dr Jeff Handmaker in an article on Dutch news channel, NOS (in Dutch).

Speaking objectively about Gaza - Jeff Handmaker and other experts discuss the situation in Gaza on Dutch television programme, Open Rotterdam 'Objectief gesproken over Gaza' 

'Africa's Israel dilemma: Navigating solidarity for Palestine and politics of interest' - article by Ahmed El Assal, PhD candidate at ISS, in The Contrapuntal. He discusses Africa's conflicting and intertwined foreign policy reactions to the crisis in Gaza.

Image: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Chadian President Idriss Déby on Nov. 25, 2018.

'Staakt-het-vuren cruciaal om genocide in Gaza te voorkomen' - opinion piece by Jeff Handmaker, Yolande Jansen, Alessandra Spadaro and Mikki Stelder in the Dutch newspaper Trouw, 21 November 2023. They argue how what is happening in Gaza is at the very least a prelude to genocide. (In Dutch, log in required).

'We are witnessing a genocide unfolding in Gaza: To stop it, the ICC prosecutor must apply the law without fear or favour' - Article in OpinioJuris by ISS research fellow, Ahmed Abofoul and General Director of Al-Haq, Shawan Jabarin.

'How was life in Gaza before October 7th?' - Blog post by Professor Irene van Staveren on ISS blog BlISS. The post is a translation of an earlier article in Dutch newspaper Trouw.

'Jewish scholars refuse to be silent about Gaza' - Jewish scholars at ISS and other Dutch academic institutions release a statement on ISS blog, BlISS about Gaza.

The statement was also published in Dutch daily newspaper, NRC - 'Joodse academici en studenten: "Univerersiteiten moeten stelling nemen tegen Israel".'  (login required)

“As scholars and practitioners of Humanitarian Studies, we strongly condemn acts of widescale and indiscriminate violence against civilian populations” - Statement on Gaza by participants of the International Humanitarian Studies Association conference roundtable and the North South University. 10 November 2023

'Misinformation on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is spreading like wildfire on social media — here’s why we keep reading fake news and what we can do to change it' - Post by Tom Ansell (Coordinator Humanitarian Studies Centre and International Humanitarian Studies Association). 27 October 2023

'Israel's blocking of humanitarian assistance breaches international humanitarian law' - Blog post by Professor Thea Hilhorst on ISS blog BlISS. 25 October 2023

Dr Jeff Handmaker and ISS students talk about how discussions about the current situation in Gaza/Israel take place in at the International Institute of Social Studies. Episode 303 of RNL News EditieNL (In Dutch and English 0.44-3:33)

Sta omstreden Palestijnse leus toe in de Tweede Kamer, censuur ervan is onterecht (in Dutch) - Opinion piece by Dr Jeff Handmaker, Dr Yolande Jansen and Willem Jebbink in reaction to the decision by the chair of the Dutch Parliament to ban the expression 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free'.

‘It is okay to feel uncomfortable when talking about horrific events’ - article by Dr Jeff  Handmaker about a teach-in he co-organized about the Israel-Palestine impasse. In the article he reflects on the essence of feeling uncomfortable about this long-lasting issue, as opposed to feeling unsafe.

Opinion piece by Professor Thea Hilhorst in Dutch newspaer de Volkskrant. In her opinion piece, Hilhorst argues that with its blockade of humanitarian aid into Gaza, Israel is violating international rules of law.

'Met het blokkeren van humanitaire hulp aan Gaza schendt Israël het internationaal oorlogsrecht', Volkskrant 24 October 2023 (in Dutch).

Interview with ISS alumnus Awni Farhat on Dutch television news. Awni has family in Gaza and flew to Cairo to try to reach them from Egypt. He has also started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for food, water and medical supplies. 

'Revival of global solidarity for Palestinian resistance', article by Ahmed El Assal, PhD candidate at ISS, in The Contrapuntal.

Professor Thea Hilhorst on the Dutch discussion programme Op1 discusses the developing humanitarian crisis in Gaza where water, fuel, food and medicines are running out fast. She talks about the humanitarian crisis that’s going on in the Gaza strip. It is extremely important that Israel allows relief supplies such as water and medicins into Gaza via the border with Egypt. These supplies are urgent and not allowing them to reach the people in Gaza is a human rights offence. (In Dutch, minute 7).

Thea Hilhorst was also interviewed for this article for Dutch news site RTL news, Eerste noodhulp staat klaar bij grens Gaza: 'Druppel op gloeiende plaat'

'The recent upsurge of violence in Israel and Palestine signifies a 'prelude to genocide. How could this happen?' Blog post by Dr Jeff Handmaker.

Dr Jeff Handmaker on Dutch radio programme Met het oog op morgen discusses the use of proportionate force by Hamas and Israel. He argues that both parties are bound by international humanitarian law which states, among others, that civilians and civilian builldings should not be targetted for military attack. (In Dutch, minute 17)

Interview with Ahmed Abofoul, ISS Legal Mobilization Fellow on Al Jazeera news