International justice, although imperfect, constitutes a powerful symbolic instrument against the law of the strongest. The thematic dossier of this issue 138 examines the scope and limitations of this concept in light of three seismic events in international justice during 2024 concerning Israeli policies in Israel/Palestine: the International Court of Justice’s order of January 29, 2024, recognizing a “plausible” risk of genocide in Gaza; the same court’s advisory opinion of July 19, 2024, on the illegality of colonizing Palestinian territories; and the issuance on November 21, 2024, by the International Criminal Court of an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for crimes against humanity. The contributions illuminate these developments while avoiding two pitfalls: the purported “realism” that asserts law is powerless without force, and its symmetrical counterpart, which contends that law can do nothing against force. This issue thus offers an original and reflective contribution on international justice as it undergoes a historic test.

Cultures & Conflits (2025/4 n° 138)