What can be learned from the 9/11 terrorist attacks and their aftermath? I wish to share some personal reflections, with a call to my colleagues in the international legal community for further engagement and discussion. 9/11 will forever be etched in our collective memory. Like many, I still recall the shock at the scale and diabolical brazenness of the attacks. Today, as ever, I mourn its victims and solemnly salute its heroes. From an international law perspective, 9/11 was also a watershed moment. New tools were developed, together with adaptations and interpretations to existing legal instruments, to address the heightened threat posed by international terrorism, as it manifested at the time. In my view, the attacks of October 7 should have prompted a similar process. Indeed, October 7 was an unprecedented attack of shocking barbarity. Iran, behind a multi-front terror network aimed at destroying Israel, has launched multiple attacks targeting civilians. Hamas and Hezbollah have perfected the cynical use of asymmetric warfare, strategically embedding their military infrastructure in densely populated civilian areas. Together with their allies, they abuse international law and international legal instruments, so as to enable further acts of terror without legal consequences. Thus far, unfortunately, the international legal community has not yet risen to the challenge: it has not yet adopted new tools to address these disturbing approaches and practices. On the contrary, if there has been any legal creativity, it was in favor of those who acted and supported these horrendous acts. I believe there is a common thread between 9/11 and October 7. The Taliban, Al Qaeda, ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iran all share a complete disregard for human rights, international law, and the values that unite freedom-loving countries, supported by a strategy to distort distinctions between the attackers and the civilians they deliberately target. One lesson of 9/11 is that the international community must strengthen the legal frameworks that enable us all to effectively combat terrorism at a global level, based on our shared values, the values that should underpin the international system. On this day, commemorating the victims of 9/11 and solemnly saluting the heroes, I call upon my colleagues, scholars and practitioners of international law, to think about, share and discuss how domestic and international legal frameworks can evolve, in light of this challenging reality. We must not let international law be used as a double-edged sword. The picture below symbolizes, to me, the perseverance of our common values in the face of disaster and evil. In the evocative words of former UK Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z”l (@rabbisacks) , in a 9/11 memorial lecture in 2011: “Our burden after 9/11 is to renew the moral disciplines of freedom. Some say it can’t be done. They are wrong: it can and must. Surely we owe the dead no less.” #september11 #neverforget #october7 #bringthemhome #InternationalLaw @IsraelinNewYork @IsraelinUSA
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