Yoram Dinstein LLM ’61, a former visiting professor at NYU Law and a prominent scholar in the areas of international law, human rights, and the laws of armed conflict, passed away on February 10 at age 88.
Dinstein studied international law at NYU Law and received Master of Jurisprudence and Doctor of Laws degrees from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He subsequently taught international law at Hebrew University from 1964 to 1966. He then joined the faculty at Tel Aviv University from 1970 to 2003, where he also served as dean of the Faculty of Law from 1978 to 1980, rector of the university from 1980 to 1985, and president of the university from 1991 to 1999. He has been referred to as “the founding father of international law studies in Israel.”
Dinstein was the Charles H. Stockton Professor of International Law at the US Naval War College during two academic years; a Humboldt Fellow at the Max Planck Institute of International Law in Heidelberg, Germany; and a visiting professor at the University of Toronto School of Law. At NYU Law, he was a Meltzer Visiting Professor of Law from 1985 to 1987. Early in his career, Dinstein served as a delegate in charge of human rights at Israel’s Mission to the United Nations and as the Israeli consul to New York.
The editor of the Israel Yearbook on Human Rights and the author of multiple books on the laws of armed conflict and other areas of law, Dinstein also delivered dozens of guest lectures at universities around the globe, received numerous prizes and three honorary doctorates, and led the drafting of influential documents related to the laws of war.
Posted March 12, 2024