Justice as a Catalyst for Structural Change: Rethinking Conflict Resolution in Protracted Conflicts

Justice in international relations has long been constrained by its conceptualization as a reactive mechanism, addressing violations and prosecuting perpetrators within a retrospective framework. This approach, steeped in legal formalism, marginalizes the transformative potential of justice to interrogate and disrupt the structural inequalities and power asymmetries that underlie protracted conflicts. Drawing on critical international theory, this paper advances a reconceptualization of justice as a structural and forward-looking force. It challenges the dominant dichotomy between peace and justice, positing justice as a dynamic and emancipatory project essential to fostering sustainable conflict resolution. Structural justice is informed by critical perspectives on the interplay between power, hegemony, and resistance in international relations. It moves beyond legalistic and normative frameworks to address the material and ideological conditions that perpetuate conflict, exclusion, and marginalization. This approach integrates principles of distributive equity, participatory parity, and collective recognition, while interrogating the systemic inequities that sustain dominant power structures. By repositioning justice as a mechanism for resistance and structural transformation, this paper underscores its potential to challenge hegemonic narratives and foster emancipatory futures. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict serves as a critical lens through which to examine the application of structural justice. The July 2024 Advisory Opinion of the ICJ on the legal consequences of Israel’s practices and policies in the OPT represents a watershed moment. By reaffirming the illegality of settlement expansion, resource exploitation, and the denial of Palestinian self-determination, the AO provides a normative framework to critique and disrupt entrenched power asymmetries. However, its significance extends beyond legal accountability, offering a means to engage with the broader political struggles that shape this protracted conflict. The AO’s emphasis on self-determination and equality creates space for marginalized voices and political movements to articulate alternative visions of justice and peace. This paper situates the Opinion within a broader analysis of how international norms and institutions can both reinforce and contest existing power structures. It explores how justice can catalyse systemic change by addressing the root causes of instability, including economic disenfranchisement, political exclusion, and territorial fragmentation. By aligning with the political struggles for Palestinian sovereignty and rights, the AO offers a critical tool to amplify resistance against hegemonic practices and to foster solidarities that transcend national borders. The implications of the Opinion extend beyond the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, resonating across the Middle East, where systemic injustices exacerbate regional instability. By addressing these structural dynamics, the AO provides a model for integrating justice into peacebuilding frameworks, demonstrating how critical perspectives on justice and power can inform regional and international strategies for sustainable conflict resolution. In reimagining justice, this paper emphasizes its capacity to disrupt hegemonic structures, challenge power asymmetries, and advance transformative agendas. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict becomes a test case for the emancipatory potential of justice, not only to achieve a just and lasting peace but also to strengthen political struggles for a more equitable global order. Justice, when reconceived as a critical and structural force, offers a foundation for addressing systemic inequities and reimagining international relations in pursuit of emancipatory futures.