In an earlier post (The Idealization of International Law by the Social-Democratic or Social-Reformist Left: The Case of the Genocide of the Palestinians by the Israeli Government), I pointed out how the social-democratic or social-reformist left idealize international law, in this instance in relation to the genocide in Gaza and the West Bank. Julius Arscott, executive member of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) and a member of the socialist organization Socialist Worker, posted the following recently on Facebook:
The following motion was adopted (with addendums in red) overwhelmingly in support of Palestine solidarity at the Ontario Federation of Labour convention in Toronto! Historic day for international labour solidarity in Ontario! Free Free Palestine!!
It should come as no surprise that reference to “international law” and “humanitarian law” should be found in a resolution by a trade-union federation–the idealization of law forms the stock-in-trade of unions these days.
Radical leftists may have to refer to international law in certain circumstances in order to defend a particular political position, but this should be combined with an explicit critique of the limitaitons of international law (and, for that matter, all law).
The Abolitionary 