2023-11-13 02:01:00
A Palestinian child sits on the rubble of a building destroyed after an Israeli attack in Khan Yunis. Picture alliance/dpa | Abed Rahim Khatib
Ahead of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on Monday, which will discuss the ongoing escalation of the conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Amnesty International is urging ministers attending to call for an immediate ceasefire respected by all the opposing parties. The worsening humanitarian and human rights catastrophe sweeping Gaza must urgently end.
“The violence we are witnessing in Gaza is so absolutely terrifying that it is difficult to conceive. But we must not look away. European ministers must call for an immediate ceasefire that is respected by all parties. A cessation of fighting could save the lives of thousands of civilians and stop the unstoppable downward spiral of this man-made humanitarian and human rights catastrophe,” said Eve Geddie, Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office.
Although the EU has generally failed to reach a consensus position consistent with international law or to directly call for a ceasefire, some of its member states, such as Ireland, Belgium and Spain, have called for a ceasefire. fire, have criticized human rights violations committed by Israel and by Hamas and other armed groups, and have respected the population’s right to peacefully protest.
At the other extreme, some states, such as Austria, the Czech Republic and Germany, have blocked a collective request for a ceasefire or a denunciation of violations of international humanitarian law committed by Israeli security forces. By doing so, they contribute to a climate of impunity in which the Israeli authorities feel emboldened to ignore their obligation to protect civilians.
“The EU, which stands as a bastion of human rights and international law, is facing a serious crisis of credibility in the eyes of people around the world.”
“The EU, which stands as a bastion of human rights and international law, is facing a serious crisis of credibility in the eyes of people around the world. Israel’s relentless bombing is killing some 300 Palestinians every day, many of them children, and the illegal blockade has caused immeasurable humanitarian suffering. Therefore, it is incomprehensible that some EU leaders are not only blocking a European call for a ceasefire, but are actively providing Israel with weapons and political support while silencing and even detaining those who demonstrate in defense of human rights. of the Palestinian population.”
“EU leaders must show that they value Palestinian and Israeli lives equally by calling for a ceasefire and unequivocally denouncing crimes committed by Israel and by Hamas and other armed groups. If a consensus is not reached, we ask principled Member States to call for a ceasefire, individually or together with other like-minded States.”
Amnesty International has called for the release of all civilian hostages held by Hamas and other armed groups. In addition, the organization has found evidence of an increase in arbitrary arrests by the Israeli authorities, who have detained thousands of Palestinians and subjected many of them to torture. Israel must release all Palestinians arbitrarily detained. All parties must urgently allow access to the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit detainees.
Amnesty International’s petition calling for a ceasefire to end civil suffering has been backed by more than a million signatures.
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