Note from our Editor-in-Chief: Next Wednesday marks three years since the horrific October 7 attack on Israel and the Israeli genocide in Gaza that followed. We’re planning a full week of coverage, including reported pieces, essays and interviews, as well as an in-depth monologue from me that you won’t want to miss. If you’re not already a paid subscriber, become one today to get full access to all of Zeteo UK’s October 7 coverage and more. – Mehdi
When Israel began its onslaught on the Gaza Strip, Western leaders rushed to justify Israel’s right to defend itself, whether through the imposition of a “complete siege” on the territory, cutting off food, water, fuel, electricity and medical supplies, or through the use of heavy munitions in densely populated cities. As the Palestinian death toll mounted, the British mainstream media scrambled to find legal experts who could justify these inhumane tactics.
But legal scholars are not the best at personal branding. Even in normal times it is difficult for editors and producers to identify legal experts in arcane subjects such as siege warfare and starvation. Flummoxed, media outlets arrived at an obscure charity with an extremely SEO-friendly name: UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), and their legal director, Natasha Hausdorff.
Hausdorff seemed to be exactly what they were looking for.
Her calm demeanour and impeccably polished accent conferred an aura of reliability. Her methodical approach to what sounded like legal fact seemed comprehensive and easy to understand. The media outlets that gave her a platform did not seem to know or care that her actual arguments were both bone-chilling and far outside what academics, myself included, might consider the consensus.