Asked in International Law

Q: Is it possible for me as an individual to sue the british governemnt?

I am a Palestinian, I lived most of my life under Israeli military occupation. My whole life was characterised by sufferings caused by this military occupation. This occupation was the direct result of the actions of the British government between 1917 and 1948 in Palestine. I live since some years in Germany, but I am still suffering because I can't go back to my homeland because I am afraid of living under military occupation again. How easy is it for me as an individual to sue the British government and to ask for compensation?

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1 Lawyer Answer
Richard Sternberg
Richard Sternberg
Answered
  • International Law Lawyer
  • Potomac, MD

A: Any idiot can sue. Isn’t your question whether you can win?

You can’t. Not only is the U.K. protected by sovereign immunity, and the statute of limitations has passed long ago, but the Act of War Doctrine either concludes that the territory belongs to Israel after the British defeat of the Ottoman Empire in WWI, or that Israel obtained sovereignty in 1948, 1956, 1967, or 1973. Alternatively, the territory belongs to either the Romans, the Israelis, the Canaanites, or God. Why do you think the Jordanians own it? They deny sovereignty, and there was never a Palestinian sovereign.

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