HU students to represent Israel in humanitarian law contest

Team chosen after winning Red Cross contest in Jerusalem.

By JOANNA PARASZCZUK
Magen David Adom ambulances 311 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Magen David Adom ambulances 311
(photo credit: REUTERS)
A team of three law students from the Hebrew University’s Faculty of Law has been chosen to represent Israel in an international humanitarian law (IHL) competition in South Africa in April.
Moran Alriyami, Yael Naggan and Doron Pe’er are to compete in the Jean-Pictet Competition on International Humanitarian Law in Winterton, South Africa, a weeklong training event for young law and political science scholars. During the competition, teams of three students from international universities compete in simulations and role-plays on a variety of IHL-related scenarios.
The International Committee of the Red Cross selected Alriyami, Naggan and Pe’er after they took first place in Israel’s National Competition on International Humanitarian Law, an annual event organized every November in Jerusalem by the ICRC and law faculties.
Naggan, who is in the third year of an LLB degree course at the Hebrew University, told The Jerusalem Post that she had entered the competition because it involved taking part in realistic conflict scenarios.
During the event, students are asked to take on various roles, including those of journalists, military personnel, policy makers and government representatives, and to deal with issues such as the legality of weapon use, prisoners and the law in occupied territories. Throughout the four-day-long competition, which is held entirely in English, competing teams are trained by international and local international humanitarian law experts.
“The scenarios included things that Israel has dealt with,” Naggan said. “One scenario included two states dealing with terrorist organizations, where we had to deal with issues which do not have such clear definitions under international law.”
Naggan said that the Hebrew University team is looking forward to representing Israel in the South African competition, but added that she expected the contest, which includes students from top law faculties around the world, to be tough.
“Law students in Israel are considered to be relatively proficient, though,” said Naggan, modestly.
Prof. Barak Medina, dean of the Hebrew University’s law faculty said the university was honored by the students’ achievements.
“Our students demonstrated an impressive depth of knowledge,” Medina said. “I hope they will also reach outstanding achievements in the international competition.”