The Dichotomy of Duty : A Case Study of Nation States' Protection of Gaza Flotilla participants

Sammanfattning

Abstract This thesis discusses the dilemma of nation states concerning the duty to protect their citizens’ right of protest at home and abroad, with the focus on the states whose citizens have been involved in the Gaza Flotilla sailings and met ill-treatment whilst attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. By using Yin’s model of a multiple descriptive case study, the thesis considers two Flotilla sailing events (in 2010 and 2025), looking beyond the existing research relating to violations of international law and the legality of Israel’s blockades of Gaza. The study instead looks at how the alleged violations of the Flotilla participants’ human rights have been addressed by their nation states. The sources include the evidence from Flotilla participants, official investigations, and communications from states. The material is analysed from the perspective of Realism and Liberalism as theoretical framings to try to understand the logic and reasoning behind state responses when considering their citizens requests for protection. By identifying and discussing the changes in the approach of states between the two sailing events, the thesis considers whether the way states exercise their duty is tied to Realist self-interest and the leader’s quest for power, or, if it aligns with a Liberal approach where the state itself is no longer the central figure, and its behaviour is fettered by membership of democratic peace institutions such as the United Nations.