Chris Sidoti
Chris Sidoti is a Commissioner on the UN Human Rights Council’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
Chris's recent articles
25 October 2025
Chris Sidoti on the International Court of Justice Gaza ruling
Yuji Iwasawa, president of the UN's highest court, says international law prohibits the use of starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare.
3 October 2025
Chris Sidoti's prescription for action on Palestine
At the National Press Club this week with Ben Saul, Chris Sidoti argues that recognition of Palestine is important, but that Australia must also comply with international law obligations, including acting on arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court.
2 October 2025
Sidoti and Saul on what we can and must do to stop the killing
Appearing yesterday at Canberra's National Press Club, Chris Sidoti and Ben Saul laid out the things Australia can and must do to play our proper part to end the genocide. In coming days we will run the text of both speeches, and the questions that followed. For now it is well worth your time to watch two genuine leaders.
23 September 2025
Israel must end its genocide in Gaza. But Australia must act too
Almost two years since Israel started its current campaign in the Gaza Strip, many governments are reluctant to call it what it is – genocide – simply because acknowledging it as such would incur legal obligations.
13 August 2025
What will Australia's recognition of Palestine mean in practical terms?
In an interview with the ABC, Chris Sidoti, Commissioner on the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said the decision on recognition of Palestine was necessary, but not sufficient in and of itself.
26 March 2025
More than a human can bear
Two weeks ago, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel published a report, “More than a human can bear”: Israel's systematic use of sexual, reproductive and other forms of gender-based violence since 7 October 2023.
26 October 2024
Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity “extreme under any circumstances”
The events since October 7 have been absolutely overwhelming. And that means they are overwhelming for everybody, but particularly for the people who are experiencing them, those who are suffering. The victims. It's regularly said that October 7 represented the greatest killing of Jewish people since the Holocaust. And that's correct. What's said less frequently is that the killing of Palestinians since then represents the greatest Slaughter of Palestinians in their recorded history.
12 September 2024
The United Nations and states, individually and collectively, are responsible for Palestine and Israel
The United Nations General Assembly commences its 79th session this week. The session continues until the end of the year. Among other things, at this session the GA will respond to the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, delivered on 20 July 2024.
1 September 2021
Mullah Morrison and his Christian Taliban
The problem with Scott Morrison is not that he uses his office to implement Christian values. The problem is that he doesn’t.
22 March 2021
Does Aung San Suu Kyi’s detention violate international law?
The International Court of Justice cannot deal with what the military is doing to the people of Myanmar today because Daw Suu and the NLD failed for five years to ratify or accede to the Rome Statute. They have no one to blame but themselves.
5 March 2021
Money talks: What Australia can do about Myanmar’s crazy generals
A month has passed since the Myanmar generals’ coup. People in Myanmar have responded with outrage. Many countries reacted strongly and quickly. Even the notoriously deadlocked UN Security Council managed to find consensus to issue a statement. Our response has been tepid. It's time to get off the fence.
16 February 2021
What are the casino regulators in Victoria and WA doing right now?
Underneath all the glitz and tizz of flashy casinos, many serious issues arise from former NSW Supreme Court Justice Patricia Bergin's report into Crown Casinos. The common thread is the power of money, especially but not only in Sydney.
19 November 2020
Crown Sydney casino opening delayed
Crown Resorts’ board sat on its hands and so the NSW regulator has intervened and ordered the new Sydney casino’s opening to be delayed.
18 November 2020
Where to now for Myanmar?
Two dysfunctional semi-democracies held national elections in the first week of November. The USA and Myanmar.
12 November 2020
Uneasy lies the head: Crown casinos is falling
Shakespeare recognised centuries ago that ‘uneasy lies the head that wears a crown’. Certainly, the individual and collective heads of the members of the board of Crown Resorts Ltd should be very very uneasy. Their Crown is falling, almost fallen.
1 November 2020
Chris Sidoti. Will I go back to Mass?
Now that the lockdown has eased and public worship is resuming, a prominent Catholic in Australia wonders if it’s really worth going back to church.