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Vol. 44 (2024)
General Articles

Divisive Jus Cogens Reloaded. Some Remarks on the Peremptory Character of Self determination under the ICJ Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024

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  • Maurizio Arcari
Maurizio Arcari
University of Milano-Bicocca

Published 2025-11-14

Keywords

  • peremptory rules,
  • International Court of Justice,
  • self-determination,
  • codification of international law

How to Cite

Divisive Jus Cogens Reloaded. Some Remarks on the Peremptory Character of Self determination under the ICJ Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024. (2025). Polish Yearbook of International Law, 44, 37-48. https://doi.org/10.24425/PYIL.2025.156713

Abstract

The article focusses on a specific aspect of the International Court of Jus
tice’s (ICJ) 2024 Advisory Opinion on the legal consequences arising from the policies 
and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, namely the statement 
that the right to self-determination constitutes a peremptory norm of international 
law. The article submits that the finding of the ICJ can be at variance with the basic 
criteria set forth by the International Law Commission in the 2022 Conclusions on 
identification and legal consequences of peremptory norms of general international 
law (jus cogens). In particular, limiting the peremptory effect of self-determination 
to cases of foreign occupation that lead to annexation risks undermining the unitary, 
universal character of peremptory rules. Overall, the case confirms the divisive potential 
of the concept of jus cogens in the international legal community.

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References

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