Israel has no right in law to exist
JVL Introduction
How often are those of us opposed to the barbourous acts committed by Israel asked “but do you believe Israel has a right to exist?” It is used as a sort of “gotcha” in interview after interview. Many of us simply say that a) Israel does exist and it is recognised as a State by the international community and b) while people have the right to exist, states do not; and some come and some go as the geopolitical situation changes.
As this article makes clear there is no such thing as a legal right for a state to exist. The insistence on recognising a right that does not actually exist is used to silence pro Palestinian voices and arguments. In Germany there is even a policy committing Germany to support the existence of Israel but “a formal declaration of Israel’s “right to exist” is required to acquire German citizenship. (No such declaration of Germany’s right to exist is required).”
Outlined here are some of the many ways in which Israel does not have a “right to exist” even beyond the general position vis a via States compared with people. Israel has time and time again violated international law from the Nakba and ever since. In addition, this is also a State without borders, even the Green Line is an armistice line and not a border (and, of course, not even the borders outlined in the partition plan approved by the UN, since when more land has been taken under Israeli control and such “territorial acquisitions resulting from the threat or use of force impose obligations of non-recognition on all states”
This article was originally published by Mondoweis on Tue 14 Jul 2026. Read the original here.
No, Israel does not have ‘a right to exist.’ Quite the contrary, actually.
Unlike the Zionist claim that “Israel has a right to exist,” my assertion is rooted in international law. Of course, given Israel’s propensity for violating such laws, it’s no surprise they’re still claiming a right that has no basis in reality.
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your argument is ridiculous what international law is that? everyine in the middle east SHOULD have the right to live under a regime with freedon of peech action, employment and access to a decent livelihood. yes EVERYONE even so-called zionitss’
Just remember that the place in the enitre middle east where arabs have most rights is ISRAEL. It is true that the ghastly Netanyahu reigme is trying to take those rights away. so far without success in Israel. West Bank and Gaza is of course differnet. I am passionaltely against israeli actions in Gaza and West Bank. I am also against Hamas. Some people seem to find it impossible to support Palestinian rigths AND Isreali rights. Do you think the palestinians would be better off under Labanese/Syrian/Iraki/Iraniann regimes?
I have no aptoence with this nonsense
This has to be one of the most succinct and well argued articles I’ve ever read on the subject. I’ve already forwarded it to several friends.
Very good; analysis that should be made more frequently by forces opposed to Zionism. One point to add regarding the United Nations; like other decisions of the early UN, the vote on Palestine was made by the organisation from which about half the world population were excluded; by the imperialist states who still control the UN through the Security Council; also unrepresentative.
Palestine belongs to the Palestinian people, and people there should live together in that land with others, as an Atheist I see no reason people should not live together and work together in peace and help each other, I see religions as clubs if you’re in our club some but not all people will help you and reject others which to me brings division and that bring big problems like Genocide, I like the words love thy neighbour; pity people cant take that in
There are 120+ nations registered with the UN which have no sovereign territory. Some are campaigning for one, eg Somaliland, the Kurds. Others are indigenous peoples trying to get their land back from colonisers, eg West Papua, Palestine. Others are oppressed ‘minority’ populations often of great size, eg the Uighurs, the Roma. The resolution of these injustices may not always be the same. I’m groping of course, and would like more discussion. But the template of Israeli nationalism has been very damaging to those who admire it , eg Armenia (in reality) and the dream of ‘Romanestan’ or a Romani colony in India. Earlier examples Sierra Leone and Liberia – a route like Israel for powerful nations to export populations they don’t want any more, regardless of the people who lived in those territories before. I don’t have a full resolution and we have to start where we are — Jews who want to end this genocide.
It is possible for people to live and love together. It is not a dream.
I have a T shirt that says -‘Don’t let me repeat myself’-History.
There are people that don’t believe colonialism is wrong. There are people who don’t know history and what they believe or taught is what settlers have educated them on. The self vanity history of conquerors. There are people who say ‘Arabs have it good in Israel’, but since they’re not Arab how do they know? There are people that defend Israel yet do not walk in the shoes of those that are oppressed.
There are people that don’t comprehend the first jews were ethnic. There are people that do not want to stretch their minds beyond what they are told and ask difficult questions or ‘what if?’.
You see ‘what if?’ is what changes the world. Not narrow gilded cages where some reside with closed wings. ‘What if’ is a bird that is free and it flies. It knows a truth and does not abide by normal conventions but always breaks the rules. Because if we don’t break the rules we would, still think the world went over the edge, science would not exist, the theory of relativity would not exist. Copernicus, Newton, Ibn Sina, Ibn Al Nafis, Mandela etc..Pioneers – they all asked ‘what if?’ And yes what if Palestine was free?What if there was true and lasting peace and equality. What if no matter our race and gender we saw each other as brothers and sisters in unity.