Victor Kattan is a Senior Research Fellow at the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore. He previously served as Al-Shabaka’s Program Director and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Law Faculty of the National University of Singapore. He is the author of From Coexistence to Conquest: International Law and the Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1891-1949 (London: Pluto Books, 2009) and The Palestine Question in International Law (London: British Institute of International and Comparative Law, 2008). He was a legal adviser to the Palestinian Negotiations Support Project from 2012-2013 and a Teaching Fellow at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) from 2008-2011 where he obtained his PhD in 2012. He worked for the British Institute of International and Comparative Law from 2006-2008, Arab Media Watch from 2004-2006, and the BADIL Resource Centre for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights from 2003-2004.
Victor Kattan
Policy Member
Expertise: Climate, Energy & the Environment, International Law & Human Rights
From this author
Jerusalem continues to lie at the center of political developments in Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, and in the shifting landscape of US and EU foreign policy toward Palestine and the Israeli regime.
Historic Palestine has long had an abundance of natural resources, ranging from fresh and ground water, arable land and, more recently, oil and natural gas. In the seven decades since the establishment of the state of Israel, these resources have been compromised and exploited through a variety of measures. These include widespread Palestinian dispossession of land in the ongoing Nakba, exploitation of water through failed negotiations, and a finders-keepers approach to gas and oil found in or under occupied land.
World attention has refocused on Gaza since the Palestinians imprisoned there for more than a decade began their peaceful “Great March of Return” on March 30. Risking life and limb to protest the violations of their human rights – Israel has killed more than 40 protestors and wounded thousands more, many seriously – the Gaza Palestinians have also succeeded in going to the root cause of the conflict.
The Israeli right is poised to annex much or all of the West Bank while continuing to isolate Gaza – either through continued siege or by pushing it on to Egypt’s plate. Donald Trump’s stance on Jerusalem offers recognition of illegal annexation that could be just the beginning. And his drive to cut back the United States contribution to UNRWA could presage a campaign to definitively close the door on the rights of Palestinian refugees 70 years after Israel’s creation and the loss of Palestine.
What does Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital mean for Palestine and the Palestinians? In a new roundtable, Al-Shabaka policy analysts weigh in and discuss ways in which Palestinians can safeguard their rights against this setback.
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A Freedom of Information request with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) by Al-Shabaka has led to the release of new documents on Gaza’s gas fields, and surprising new information about the possibility of oil fields in the West Bank.
Victor Kattan· Aug 21, 2012
United States President Barack Obama swept into office with a powerful commitment to the cause of nuclear nonproliferation. However, the escalating U.S. sanctions and covert actions against Iran’s alleged quest for a nuclear weapon as well as its increased military presence in the Gulf – all the while ignoring Israel’s arsenal – push that goal well out of reach. In this policy brief, Al-Shabaka Program Director Victor Kattan explains why this is the case, and argues that if the U.S. is really serious about nuclear nonproliferation it must also and as part of its nonproliferation strategy tackle Israel’s longstanding nuclear weapons program.
Victor Kattan· Jul 25, 2012
Thirteen years after the discovery of gas fields off the coast of Gaza, efforts to develop them remain deadlocked despite the international backing the project enjoys. Meanwhile the besieged Gaza Strip suffers prolonged power cuts and the Palestinian economy bears a huge financial cost - as do the Western taxpayers keeping it afloat. Al-Shabaka Program Director Victor Kattan discusses the actors and amounts involved as well as the reasons why the project has stalled and recommends some policy options to break the deadlock.
Victor Kattan· Apr 24, 2012
The third session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine recently convened in Cape Town, South Africa. Its perhaps most controversial finding was that Israel applies a system of apartheid to the entire Palestinian people, including its own citizens. What is the significance of this finding, and what does it mean for civil society in Palestine and the Diaspora – and for Israel and its supporters? In this policy brief, Al-Shabaka Program Director Victor Kattan describes what apartheid means under international law, highlights the Tribunal’s findings, and explains its significance.
Victor Kattan· Nov 23, 2011
Is the strategy of seeking international recognition from and membership of the United Nations (UN) this September for the State of Palestine a meaningful move or just a gimmick? What benefits would UN membership bring given that Israel may still retain de facto control over the occupied Palestinian territories? What would the impact be on the growing movement for a one-state solution?
Victor Kattan· May 27, 2011
Media mention
Britain committed a grave injustice in Palestine in 1948, and there is no statute of limitations on bringing claims for reparations under international law.
Victor Kattan· Nov 1, 2017
The Israeli-Palestinian peace process needs a fresh approach and the talks that commenced this week in Paris between foreign ministers of some two dozen countries, including US Secretary of State John Kerry, need to take that fact on board.
Victor Kattan· Jun 4, 2016
Victor Kattan discusses the reasons for and consequences of Palestine's accession to the International Criminal Court and considers possible scenarios for developments around the Palestine question.
Victor Kattan· Jan 14, 2015
What are the choices facing Palestinians regarding their state sovereignty, and how best should they be pursued? The International Court of Justice (ICJ) or the International Criminal Court (ICC)? Read this debate by Al-Shabaka Policy Advisor Victor Kattan and University of Sussex lecturer Michael Kearney.
Victor Kattan· Oct 31, 2014
In Victor Kattan's analysis, it's premature for Palestinians to approach the International Criminal Court (ICC), in order to end Israel's occupation. Instead, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) should be asked by the UN General Assembly for an advisory opinion on the legal responsibilities of states to do it. This would circumvent a United States veto as well as the U.S. Congress's retaliation.
Victor Kattan· Oct 23, 2014
"...Previously unavailable documents obtained from Britain's Foreign Office by the Palestine Policy Network under the Freedom of Information Act 'confirm there is potential for a Palestinian petroleum sector in the West Bank. Victor Kattan, program director of ... Al-Shabaka, observed: 'The documents reveal that, in addition, Israel may be exploiting an oil field located near Ramallah within the occupied Palestinian territories.The documents also point to the possible existence of two other oil fields near Qalqiliya and another near Hebron.'"
Victor Kattan· Nov 5, 2013
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