William Schabas
International-law scholar · Canada / United Kingdom (Middlesex University)
Among the most-cited legal scholars on genocide; author of 'Genocide in International Law.'
University-based academic.
From a family of Holocaust survivors. Appointed chair of the UN's 2014 Gaza Commission of Inquiry; academic posts in Canada and the UK.
Resigned as chair of the UN Gaza Commission of Inquiry in 2015 after Israel cited a paid 2012 legal consultancy for the Palestine Liberation Organization; he denied bias. Has since argued publicly that Israel's conduct in Gaza meets the genocide threshold — a contested legal position.
A leading legal authority whose textbooks are standard references. On the Israel–Palestine question specifically, his views are contested and the conflict-of-interest episode is part of the public record — readers should weigh both his expertise and the criticism.
Cases in this record
This source informs the record’s methodology, data, or risk assessment rather than a specific case determination. See the methodology for how sources like this are used.
Sources & disclosures
- Schabas quits UN Gaza inquiry over bias claims — BBC News
- Biography — Wikipedia