Q&A: The Validity of International Law
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
The Validity of International Law
Question
Hello Rabbi,
Is international law binding? Or because there is no serious enforcement of it, does it therefore have no validity?
Answer
In principle, international law is valid, just like dina de-malkhuta dina. If this is the consensus of humanity, then it binds all of humanity. However, it seems that enforcement is selective and that power is mainly what speaks, so I really think there is no genuine obligation here.
Since when am I obligated by something that all of humanity decided on? Even if all of humanity unites, the moment I am a people and sovereign, I don’t see any principled obligation to listen to them. Unlike a private individual who is born into a public, I, as a people, am not part of a public called humanity—at least not by default. If I joined them, that’s already a different story. At least that’s how it seems to me.