It is a customary international law that intends to avoid border disputes in instances of ending colonial control.

Practically, it is just good advice for the parties that it is better to accept the colonial borders than start a war to change them.

Jewish lawyers made it into the case for Israel’s expansion. Many Jewish politicians and political writers repeat it endlessly. It is as good as any other legal theory.

Before Zionist resettlement by the end of the 19th century, the Jews were a tiny minority in the territory of today’s Israel. With money, Jews gained political influence in the collapsing Ottoman Empire, allowing them to purchase “lawfully” land in Palestine.

The problem is that property rights in Palestine were not as formalized then as in Europe. So, Jews outfoxed locals. After putting their feet there, they doubled this method to get more land. After 1948, they simply “legally” expelled the locals hostile to Israel.

But that supposedly legal maneuvering made millions of Arabs living there unwelcome foreigners in their homeland.

Skillful Jewish lawyers can construct an argument that it was legal. But a man with conscience sees the abuse. So, the conflict will end when Jews acknowledge their land grab and provide Palestinians with satisfactory compensation for the lost real estate.

Please check my writings on the subject.