Christian fights anti-Israel legal battles
Hague Initiative for International Cooperation expanding work in Australia and Pacific
International law specialist Andrew Tucker is expanding his organisation’s pro-Israel research and advocacy work to Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.
This includes the appointment of University of Wollongong’s Professor Gregory Rose as director of research for The Hague Initiative for International Cooperation (THINC).
Tucker’s background spans corporate and international law across Melbourne, Oxford, and Amsterdam.
He helped establish THINC to address what he describes as a “gap in knowledge and understanding” about Israel’s position in international law.
Speaking at an Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council function at the end of last year, the Christian activist told the AJN about his motivations.
“I could see the growth of lawfare against Israel, certainly in Europe. We shouldn’t be relying just on international law to give us the guidelines that we need as a nation in determining our foreign policy towards Israel. We’ve got to look at other things as well” he said.
The organisation specialises in research, education, and advocacy.
Recent projects include analysis of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ potential designation as a terrorist organisation under EU law.
THINC has also been working on matters relating to the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion on Israel.
Tucker stressed the importance of nurturing new legal talent.
“We really want to engage more with law students, those who are graduates of law schools, young academics, and to push back a little bit against the legal academy,” he said.
He noted that in his view, the academic legal community has been “one of the driving forces in the anti-Israel lawfare.”
THINC is particularly focused on developing nations.
“I’ve been working with Fiji, for example,” Tucker explained.
“In the International Court of Justice, you have 16 Pacific Island member states of the UN. Many of them vote with Israel on issues around not only the Palestinian issue, but other issues as well.”
Tucker is co-author of “Israel on Trial” and “Two States for Two Peoples?”.
He maintains that while defending Israel’s legal positions, THINC remains committed to objective analysis.
“The law is not always on Israel’s side,” he said. “Like any other conflict, Israel is subject to international law. It must comply with international law.”
The expansion into the Asia-Pacific region represents a significant step for THINC.
Tucker emphasises the organisation’s commitment to serious legal analysis that avoids propaganda.
“Sometimes [this] works well for Israel, but sometimes we find that Israel is making a mistake or going in the wrong direction,” he noted, highlighting THINC’s dedication to balanced legal scholarship.
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