BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID:-//eluceo/ical//2.0/EN VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VEVENT UID:c8077c51f010de88995d08ba58ef5dd5 DTSTAMP:20260516T051613Z SUMMARY:Human Rights Law Discussion Group – Is Palestine a State? DESCRIPTION:Contact: daria.davitti@jur.lu.se\n\nPre-International Law Day C onference Seminar \;This is a warm invitation to a seminar organised b y the Human Rights Law Discussion Group in the context of the Internationa l Law Day. \;Dr Victor Kattan (Assistant Professor in Law at the Unive rsity of Nottingham). \;The seminar starts at 14.15\, respecting the a cademic quarter\, and involves around 30 minutes of presentation\, followe d by approx. 30 minutes of discussion. \;Feel free to forward the flye r attached to anyone who might be interested. For people outside the Facul ty of Law at Lund University who wish to participate either on site or dig itally please register your participation by sending an e-mail to daria.da vitti@jur.lu.se.Faculty members\, graduate students and all interested in interdisciplinary research involving law are most welcome! \;Convenors : Chris Cowan\, Amanda Kron\, Björg Valgeirsdóttir \;Senior Members: Daria Davitti\, Zvezda Vankova \;The Human Rights Law Discussion Grou p is kindly funded by the Centre for European Studies at Lund University\, in collaboration with the ERC Starting Grant project “Refugee Finance: Histories\, Frameworks\, Practices (REF-FIN)” and the VR project “Refu gee protection or cherry picking? Assessing new admission policies for ref ugees in Europe” (ARISE).Abstract:The statehood of Palestine remains con tested\, despite near-universal recognition. Its territory continues to be subject to an unlawful military occupation\, and Gaza lies devastated aft er a genocidal conflict that killed tens of thousands. Nonetheless\, in Se ptember 2025\, eleven Global North States recognized the State of Palestin e\, raising the total number of recognitions to 159. This includes recogni tion from four permanent members of the UN Security Council: China\, Franc e\, Russia\, and the United Kingdom. Yet\, the process by which Palestine attained recognition of its statehood under such conditions remains insuff iciently explained. When did Palestine become a State despite lacking effe ctive governance\, and what is the basis of its territorial title? What im plications do 159 recognitions have for States that still withhold recogni tion? This Article argues that Palestine’s recognition as a State is coh erent only when understood in light of its status as former sovereign Otto man territory — a Holy Land that was never colonized by that empire and that was never subject to British sovereignty during the Mandate. In 1919\ , the League of Nations provisionally recognized the communities of the fo rmer Turkish Empire as “independent nations\,” acknowledging their pre existing sovereignty. From that point\, Palestine’s recognition expanded in waves—1948\, 1988\, 2012\, 2024 and 2025—reflecting both constitut ive and declaratory approaches to statehood at different historical junctu res. The Article concludes with a critical reflection on the doctrine of r ecognition and its enduring significance in a decentralized international system. Despite shifts in power and law\, recognition continues to shape t he creation\, legitimacy\, and survival of States.Speaker’s bio: \;D r Victor Kattan is Assistant Professor in Public International Law at the University of Nottingham School of Law where he is the deputy director of the Nottingham International Law and Security Centre. Victor’s publicati ons include: The Palestine Question in International Law \;(British In stitute of International and Comparative Law\, 2008)\; From Coexistence to Conquest: International Law and the Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict 1891-1949 \;(Pluto Press\, 2009)\; Violent Radical Movements in the Ar ab World: The Ideology and Politics of NonState Actors \;(Bloomsbury\, 2019\, with Peter Sluglett)\; Making Endless War: The Vietnam and Arab-Is raeli Conflicts in the History of International Law \;(Michigan Univer sity Press\, 2023\, with Brian Cuddy)\; and The Breakup of India and Pales tine: The Causes and Legacies of Partition \;(Manchester University Pr ess\, 2023\, with Amit Ranjan).\n\nMore information about the event: https ://www.law.lu.se/calendar/human-rights-law-discussion-group-palestine-stat e DTSTART;TZID=GMT:20251105T131500 DTEND;TZID=GMT:20251105T143000 LOCATION:Juridiska fakulteten\, Tetra Laval and Zoom END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR