Eugene Kontorovich writes:
The most surprising aspect of international proposals for a ceasefire in the Israel-Lebanon conflict is their endorsement of Hezbollah’s demand that Israel give it territory, known as the Sheba Farms, in exchange for a end to rocket attacks on Israeli cities. The merits of the proposal as a diplomatic measure are far from clear. What is certain — and yet entirely neglected in the discussion of the issue — is that the proposal violates bedrock norms of international law.
Nations cannot enlarge their borders through the use of aggressive force. There are no exceptions to this non-acquisition principle. The U.N. Security Council, the International Court of Justice, and America itself have consistently affirmed it. In the words of the General Assembly, “no territorial acquisition resulting from the threat or use of force shall be recognized as legal.” Moreover, nations are forbidden from recognizing borders secured through illegal war….
I’m not an international law expert, so I can’t speak to the merits of this point; but Kontorovich does know a good deal about the subject, so I thought I’d pass it along. If others have pointers to relatively detailed (even just with an op-ed level of detail) arguments to the contrary, please do post them in the comments.