The Life of Theodor Meron: The Godfather of International Humanitarian Law

The Life of Theodor Meron: The Godfather of International Humanitarian Law

From Law and Disorder by Podot

May 27, 2026 · 43 min

About this episode

The episode features Theodor Meron discussing his life and contributions to international humanitarian law.

Growing up in Nazi-occupied Poland, Theodor Meron had unsurprisingly very limited access to education. But with the help of family in then Palestine, Meron got a place at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and, well, the rest is history. From roles as a legal adviser of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs - and sharing some "controversial" opinions on the rights of Palestinians - to being a judge for the United Nations Criminal Tribunal, there is almost nothing the 96-year-old hasn't done; he's even writing poetry! As our guest on this week's episode, Theodor Meron regales us with the story of his life and how he came to be the 'godfather' of international humanitarian law. Law and Disorder is a Podot podcast. Hosted by: Charlie Falconer, Helena Kennedy, Nicholas Mostyn. Executive Producer and editor: Nick Hilton. Associate Producers: Ewan Cameron, Lulu Goad Music by Richard Strauss, arranged and performed by Anthony Willis & Brett Bailey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Hosts: Charlie Falconer, Helena Kennedy, Nicholas Mostyn

Guest: Theodor Meron

Topics covered

  • international humanitarian law
  • Theodor Meron
  • legal history
  • Nazi-occupied Poland
  • UN Criminal Tribunal
  • Israeli politics
  • poetry

Keywords

  • Theodor Meron
  • international humanitarian law
  • UN Criminal Tribunal
  • Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Nazi-occupied Poland
  • legal adviser
  • poetry

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hebrew University, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, United Nations Criminal Tribunal

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