CENTER FOR ETHICS AND THE RULE OF LAW​

Clarifying the legal definition of a ‘war crime’

In an opinion for The Jewish Chronicle, CERL Advisory Council member Geoffrey Corn cautions against “quick” and “overly broad” accusations of war crimes in the Israel-Hamas conflict. He explains that attacks involving civilian casualties violate the law of war only when accompanied by an intent to harm civilians or when the anticipated collateral damage exceeds or is disproportionate to the expected military gain.

Geoffrey S. Corn is the George R. Killam, Jr. Chair of Criminal Law and Director of the Center for Military Law and Policy at Texas Tech University School of Law and a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel. He is also a member of the CERL Advisory Council. Read his bio here.

The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of any organization or university.

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Clarifying the legal definition of a ‘war crime’