Die fortwährende Gewalt gegen Zivilist:innen muss endlich ein Ende finden. Trotz wiederholter Appelle an die internationale Gemeinschaft, ein dauerhaftes und bedingungsloses Waffenstillstandsabkommen zu erzielen, Geiseln freizulassen und die Spannungen in der Region abzubauen, eskaliert die Gewalt weiterhin. In diesem Kontext rufen wir, gemeinsam mit über 200 humanitären Organisationen, erneut alle Staats- und Regierungschefs, den UN-Sicherheitsrat und alle Akteure vor Ort dazu auf, den Schutz menschlichen Lebens über alles andere zu stellen und unverzüglich zu handeln.
Open Call for a Ceasefire in Gaza, Lebanon and Israel and End to Impunity amid a Spiralling Humanitarian Catastrophe and Escalating Regional Conflict
We, the undersigned organisations, appeal to all UN member states to secure an immediate ceasefire across Gaza, Lebanon, Israel and the region, and to end the impunity that has allowed atrocities by Israeli forces against civilians to continue and escalate. Without accountability, there will be no red lines and no rock bottom.
Israel’s war in Gaza, following the deadly attacks by Palestinian armed groups on 7 October 2023, is the latest and most horrific onslaught of violence in the decades-long Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. After a year of unfathomable killing and destruction, patterns of civilian harm by Israeli forces are spreading and escalating from Gaza to Lebanon, while rocket attacks by armed groups in Lebanon continue. We are now on the precipice of even greater devastation across the region.
Failure to act now is a choice – a choice that will fail to stop and prevent future atrocities.The UN Commission of Inquiry concluded last week that Israel has committed war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination with relentless and deliberate attacks on medical personnel and facilities in Gaza, and called on member states to “cease aiding or assisting in the commission of violations.”
Over the last 12 months, the UN Security Council has passed four resolutions on Gaza, including one calling for a ceasefire, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article II of the Genocide Convention. The ICJ also issued an Advisory Opinion that found that Israel’s occupation[1] and annexation of Palestinian territory is illegal, and the UN General Assembly passed a resolution demanding that Israel end its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) within 12 months. Despite this, none of these measures have been implemented or adhered to.
The international community’s egregious disregard for international law and the government of Israel’s unchecked impunity in Gaza, the West Bank and now Lebanon, has set dangerous new precedents for the conduct of war.
For civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory, Lebanon and Israel this has resulted in:
- Israeli military actions killing over 43,000 Palestinians across the oPt and more than 2,000 people in Lebanon.
- Israeli forces issuing displacement orders covering over 84% of Gaza’s territory and now 25% of Lebanon’s territory. These orders, combined with Israel’s bombardment, have forcibly displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population and over 800,000 people in Lebanon.
- An estimated 400,000 Palestinians are under siege and relentless bombardment in northern Gaza without access to food, water, fuel, or medical care. (UNRWA)
- The killing of over 300 Palestinian and international aid workers, and over 1000 health care workers in Gaza and 95 in Lebanon. UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon are also coming under attack by Israeli forces (UNIFIL). Israeli military attacks on hospitals, clinics, and ambulances have decimated the health care system in Gaza, and are destroying it in Lebanon – leaving millions without access to care.
- Countless children and adults are dying of malnutrition and facing the risk of starvation, directly induced by the Israeli government’s siege on Gaza, which includes systematic obstruction of humanitarian aid and essential services. (IPC)
- The killing of nearly 1,200 people in Israel during the Palestinian armed group led attacks on October 7, 2023 (OCHA).
- Rockets fired by Palestinian and Lebanese armed groups have killed and injured dozens of people (Amnesty International) and displaced over 140,000 Israelis.
- 101 hostages remain held by Palestinian armed groups, and thousands of Palestinians are unlawfully detained by Israeli forces in detention centers, including children, many whose whereabouts are unknown and have effectively disappeared.
Many among us have repeatedly called for a permanent and unconditional ceasefire, hostage release, a halt to arms transfers, and de-escalation of tensions in the region, and yet the violence only appears to be intensifying. Again, we call on all Heads of State and Governments, the UN Security Council, and actors on the ground to prioritise the preservation of human life above all else by:
- Securing an immediate ceasefire by all parties to the conflict and an end to the indiscriminate attacks that kill civilians and destroy civilian infrastructure;
- Halting the transfer of weapons, parts, and ammunition to parties to the conflict that may be used to commit violations of international humanitarian law (IHL);
- Enabling unhindered humanitarian access for the delivery of lifesaving assistance, including food, medical supplies and fuel, and the safe movements of civilians and aid workers.
- Ensuring the protection of civilians from further forced displacement, and the right to return for those forcibly displaced. Civilians who choose to stay or are unable to leave remain protected under international law.
- Securing the release of all hostages and detainees.
- Immediately activating independent international investigations into all apparent violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes committed by all parties.
Governments must do everything in their power to end this growing catastrophe and cycle of impunity. It is not only a moral imperative but a legal obligation. All Member States must prevent further atrocities and ensure that those responsible for any violations of international law, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, are held accountable. Failure to act now risks further eroding international norms and emboldening perpetrators. The cycle of violence against civilians needs to stop.
Signatories:
1. ABCD Bethlehem
2. Access Center for Human Rights (ACHR)
3. Act for the Disappeared
4. Action Développement Parrainages Mondiaux
5. Action Research Associates
6. AFSC, American Friends Service Committee
7. ALEF – act for human rights
8. Alternative Jewish Voices/Sh’ma Koleinu
9. Alternatives Internationales
10. Amos Trust
11. Anera
12. Anglican Pacifist Fellowship
13. Another Europe is Possible
14. Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem
15. Asamblea de Cooperación por la Paz (ACPP)
16. Asociación Otra Escuela
17. Association Switzerland-Palestine (Gesellschaft Schweiz-Palästina)
18. Avaaz
19. Baytna pour le soutien de la société civile
20. Belgium Palestine Mental Health Network
21. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
22. Campaña Colombiana Contra Minas – CCCM
23. CARE International
24. Caritas International Belgium
25. Caritas Internationalis
26. Caritas Lebanon
27. Caritas Maroc
28. Caritas MONA (Middle East and North Africa)
29. CCFD-Terre Solidaire
30. Central Pacific Conference of the UCC Palestine/Israel Network
31. Centre for Global Education
32. Children Not Numbers
33. Christian Aid
34. Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)
35. CIVICUS
36. Clowns Without Borders Sweden
37. Clowns Without Borders UK
38. CNCD-11.11.11
39. Collective Aid
40. Comisión de Justicia y Paz de Confregua
41. Cordaid
42. Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO)
43. Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu)
44. DanChurchAid
45. Danish Refugee Council
46. DAWN
47. Egala Association
48. Embrace the Middle East
49. Emmaus International
50. Equal Legal Aid
51. Equality Now
52. EuroMed Rights Network
53. Europe Cares e.V.
54. European Alternatives
55. Fellowship of Reconciliation – USA
56. Femena
57. Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid
58. Fighters for Peace Lebanon
59. Firefly International
60. Forces Watch
61. FORO SALUD NACIONAL
62. Forum for the Memory and Future
63. Forum Ziviler Friedensdienst e. V.
64. France Palestine Mental Health Network
65. Frantz Fanon Association
66. Frieda – the Feminist Peace Organisation
67. Friends Committee on National Legislation
68. FSMAGH (Forum des alternatives Maroc – FMAS)
69. Fund for Global Human Rights
70. Generation for Rights Over the World
71. Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
72. Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP)
73. Global Witness
74. GOOD TO BE GOOD
75. Greek Council for Refugees (GCR)
76. HelpAge International
77. Hivos
78. Human Rights & Democracy Media Center “SHAMS“/Palestine
79. Human Rights Sentinel
80. Human Security Collective
81. Humanity & Inclusion/Handicap International
82. ICNA SISTERS CANADA
83. Ina autra senda – Swiss Friends of Combatants for Peace
84. Initiatives et Changement
85. International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ)
86. International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)
87. International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA)
88. International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
89. International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR)
90. International Peace Bureau (IPB)
91. INTERSOS
92. Iranian Canadian Congress
93. Ireland Palestine Mental Health Network
94. Islamic Relief Worldwide
95. Jesuit European Social Centre
96. Jewish Network for Palestine
97. Jewish Voice for Peace-Health Advisory Council
98. KAIROS Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
99. Kenya Human Rights Commission
100. KinderUSA
101. Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law
102. Lebanese Center for human Rights
103. MADRE
104. Mayworks Kjipuktuk/Halifax
105. Médecins du Monde International Network
106. medico international
107. medico international schweiz
108. Medicus Mundi Italia
109. Mennonite Central Committee
110. Migrant Roots Media
111. Minnesota Peace Project
112. MOUVEMENT JEUNESSE ET CITOYENNETE
113. Movement for community-led Development
114. MPower Change Action Fund
115. Muslim Aid UK
116. Muslim Association of Brantford
117. Muslim Delegates and Allies
118. Musulmanas de Guatemala por Palestina
119. Network for Children’s Rights
120. NO NAME KITCHEN
121. No Peace Without Justice (Non c’è Pace Senza Giustizia)
122. Nonviolence International
123. Nonviolent Peaceforce
124. Norwegian Refugee Council
125. Olof Palmes Internationella Center
126. Omega Research Foundation
127. Outright International
128. Oxfam
129. Palestinian Assoc. of Brantford
130. PAX
131. Pax Christi Australia
132. Pax christi Deutsche Sektion
133. Pax Christi England and Wales
134. Pax Christi Flanders
135. Pax Christi International
136. Pax Christi Scotland
137. Pax Christi USA
138. Peace & Justice – Scotland
139. Peace Boat
140. Peace Direct
141. Peace SOS
142. Peace Watch Switzerland
143. Peace, Justice, Sustainability, NOW!
144. People’s Health Movement (PHM)
145. Permanent Peace Movement
146. Plan International
147. Plateforme des ONG françaises pour la Palestine
148. Polish Medical Mission
149. Première Urgence Internationale
150. Progressive Democrats of Pennsylvania
151. Protection International
152. PVE Works
153. Quakers in Scotland (Religious Society of Friends)
154. Refugees International
155. Resource Centre for human Rights & Civic Education (CHRICED)
156. ReThinking Foreign Policy
157. Rethinking Security
158. Righting Relations Canada
159. RootsAction Education Fund
160. Saferworld
161. SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties
162. Save the Children International
163. Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
164. Secours Catholique – Caritas France
165. Secure Scotland
166. Seenaryo
167. Share The World’s Resources
168. SOL Education Center
169. SOS Children’s Villages UK
170. Soutien Belge Outre-frontières / Support in Belgium and Overseas (SBO)
171. Ster Organization for human development
172. Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR)
173. Tamkeen for Legal Aid and Human Rights
174. Terre des Hommes Netherlands
175. The Advocacy Academy
176. The Center for Mind-Body Medicine
177. The Circle
178. The Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace, and Security
179. The Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation
180. The International Federation for Rights and Development – IFRD
181. The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation
182. The Namibia NGO Forum Trust
183. The National Organization of Yemeni Reporters SADA
184. The socio-economic Justice Initiative-MAAN
185. The Syria Campaign
186. Train of Hope Dortmund e. V.
187. Turkiye – Palestine Mental Health Network
188. UK Palestine Mental Health Network
189. UMAM Documentation & Research
190. United Against Inhumanity
191. United Nations Association – UK (UNA-UK)
192. United Nations Association Scotland (UNAS)
193. University Network for Human Rights
194. UNOY Peacebuilders
195. US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO)
196. USA Palestine Mental Health Network
197. Veterans For Peace
198. Veterans for Peace, Phil Berrigan Memorial Chapter (Baltimore, MD)
199. Vision GRAM-International
200. Vrede vzw
201. Vredesactie
202. War Child
203. War Resisters League
204. Welfare Association
205. WESPAC Foundation, Inc.
206. WeWorld
207. WILPF US
208. Wir packen’s an e.V.
209. Women for Women International
210. Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom-Minnesota, USA, Branch
211. World BEYOND War
212. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
213. Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation
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