UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Attacks on Civilians Are War Crimes”
“A war where communication tools become weapons… cannot become the new normal”
The United Nations (UN) has convened an emergency meeting in response to the simultaneous explosions of pagers in Lebanon and urged Lebanon and Israel to refrain from escalating hostilities.
However, Israel blamed the Lebanese armed group Hamas for the war, and Lebanon referred to Israel as a “rogue state,” and even at the meeting, the atmosphere of escalating war was felt.
According to the Times of Israel (TOI) on the 20th (local time), the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) convened an emergency meeting at the request of Algeria. Senior diplomatic representatives from Lebanon and Israel, which are currently at the center of the Middle East war, also attended the meeting.
Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, expressed concern over the escalating tensions on the border between the two countries following Israel’s attack on the Lebanese capital Beirut, and urged both sides to “exercise maximum restraint.”
Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Peace-Building Affairs, also called for an end to hostilities between Israel and Lebanon, saying fighting has continued for the past year.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said the Israeli attack was an “indiscriminate attack on civilians” and “a violation of international humanitarian law.”
He then went on to denounce Israel as a “rogue state.”
In response to these remarks, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon blamed Hezbollah for the escalation of the war.
Hezbollah claimed to have been the first to fire hundreds of rockets at civilians in northern Israel the day after the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 last year.
“We have no intention of going to war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, but we cannot continue as we are now,” Ambassador Danon said. “If Hezbollah does not withdraw from our borders through diplomatic efforts, Israel will have no choice but to use any means within its rights.”
He also threatened that Israel would do “whatever is necessary” to restore security in the northern region.
Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk criticized the use of violence to “spread fear among civilians as a war crime.”
“We are shocked by the scope and impact of this attack,” the Turkic High Representative said. “International humanitarian law prohibits the use of seemingly harmless, portable objects as booby-trap devices.”
He continued, “These attacks represent a new development in warfare where communications tools are becoming weapons,” and stressed, “This cannot become the new normal.”
He added, “There needs to be an independent, rigorous and transparent investigation into this.”
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2024-09-22 07:58:29