A Cambridge University Press law journal has apologised following the publication of a paper that explored how Israel may exploit natural gas reserves in Gaza if it annexed the area.

Following significant criticism the editorial board and editors-in-chief of the Leiden Journal of International Law (LJIL) issued an apology for the article. The editors also stated that they “recognise the grounds for criticism” and “are taking steps relating to the future of this particular piece and specifically how we can respond to the concerns that have been raised.”

The article examined different situations which would allow the gas reservoir known as Gaza Marine to be developed.

The abstract discussed how the gas fields were discovered in the area in 2000 but not developed due to the “complicated political status of the Gaza Strip over the past two decades”. The paper then details four scenarios in which they might be exploited, with the last of these being the “partial Israeli annexation of Gaza”.

This proposition created anger online, with critics accusing the Israel based academics who authored the piece of legitimising “colonial dispossession.”

Reacting to the piece, a PhD student told Times Higher Education that: “A primary function of Western academia is to enable and justify the West’s extractivist-colonialist depredations. Shame on you monsters.”

The paper does note that the annexation would be illegal and unlikely to further the development of the gas field. It also describes other scenarios in which the gas extraction could take place including Palestinian independence, continued occupation by Israel, and an international transitional administration in Gaza.

In a statement addressing the controversy, the LJIL said it “emphasizes the fundamental principles of international law that annexation of territories is unlawful and that the Palestinian people have the right to self-determination.”

A Cambridge University Press spokesperson told Varsity: “Cambridge University Press respects the independence of the journals it publishes to make editorial decisions in line with our Research Publishing Ethics Guidelines.”