Joel M. Margolis

AAJLJ Legal Commentator

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Jan 14, 2025, 3:09 AM

Is Syria Still a State?

According to the 1933 Montevideo Convention, a community that claims to be a state may legally constitute a state only if it meets four criteria: a permanent population; a defined territory; an effective government; and the capacity to sign...

Oct 2, 2024, 1:03 AM

No, Mr. Panetta, the Radio Bombs Were Legal

The Hezbollah terrorist organization recently suffered a severe military setback with astonishingly few civilian casualties. And it was done by the book. Two weeks ago, numerous one-way and two-way radios exploded in Lebanon and Syria. The detonations killed or maimed...

Sep 12, 2024, 10:11 PM

Israel’s Temporary Control of Gaza

In his July 25th address to the US Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged that Israel would “retain overriding security control” over Gaza until a political process creates a new, demilitarized and deradicalized Gaza run by Palestinians. Under...

Aug 6, 2024, 5:23 PM

The ICJ Ruling on Palestinian Territorial Rights

How can an international court be so prestigious and yet so politicized? On July 19th the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a non-binding opinion ordering Israel to terminate its prolonged “occupation” of Gaza, east Jerusalem, and the West Bank...

Jul 2, 2024, 4:23 AM

Did the UN Commission of Inquiry Properly Analyze the War in Gaza?

On June 12, 2024, the UN Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry on Israel (COI) issued its fifth report (the Report). The COI was founded in 2021 with a unique mandate to investigate Israel – and no other country...

Jun 21, 2024, 5:07 PM

May Israel Lawfully Invade Lebanon … Again?

On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded Israel, killing 1200 Israelis and taking more than 250 hostages, and igniting the Gaza War. The day after, the Lebanon-based, Iranian-funded terrorist group Hezbollah added to the onslaught by firing rockets, artillery shells,...

Dec 23, 2018, 4:00 PM

Erasing Islam from Islamic Terror

Earlier this month several mainstream media outlets omitted any mention of Islam when they reported an act of Islamic terror in Strasbourg, France. A mass-shooting there had killed three people and injured 13. But news readers were not told...

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About Me

Joel M. Margolis is the Legal Commentator, American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, U.S. Affiliate of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists. In this capacity Joel drafts articles examining the legal aspects of issues affecting the Jewish people, including antisemitism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His 2001 book, "The Israeli-Palestinian Legal War," analyzed the major legal issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Previously he worked as a telecommunications lawyer in both the public and private sectors, specializing in government affairs, contracts, and privacy law.