Declaration – 26 May 2021

While the international community welcomes the ceasefire agreement reached by the warring parties, which saved lives after 11 days of deadly clashes, there remains an urgent need to end the impunity and address the root causes of this cycle of violence.

In view of the very heavy toll of agressive Israeli attacks on Palestinians, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and its member organisations call on the international community to take immediate, effective and concrete measures to put an end to the Israeli oppression of the Palestinian people, to violations of international law and to possible war crimes.

With the de facto annexation already underway for many years through various Israeli policies, including, inter alia, continuous appropriation of Palestinian land and property, and the establishment and expansion of Israel’s illegal settlements, it is important that the international community’s response addresses the root causes of the Palestinian struggle with a view to ending impunity for these crimes.

The recent escalation broke out after the looming expulsion of eight Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in Jerusalem. These families are refugees themselves. They were settled in Sheikh Jarrah area in coordination with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), after they were forcibly expelled from their hometowns during the Nakba of 1948. Inherent in its settler-colonial and apartheid regime, Israel’s policy of fragmentation, dispossession, demographic manipulation, and population transfer to evict Palestinians and replace them with Israelis, continues to be carried out with impunity. This repeating cycle of violence is a result of the protracted impunity granted to Israel for its violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights laws, which we fear will escalate further and repeat itself in case of de-escalation, should there never be consequences for committing violations of international law.

During 11 days, Israel has disproportionately escalated its attacks on Palestinians. In flagrant violation of international law, Israeli occupying forces and settlers have invaded the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and used excessive force against worshippers, demonstrators and bystanders.

Israeli air strikes in Gaza have killed more than 230 Palestinians so far, including at least 62 children and 34 women, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. Since the Israeli air strikes on Gaza began, at least 2,400 Palestinians have been injured, and this number is expected to rise as paramedics continue to conduct search operations. More than 58,000 people have been displaced by the hostilities in Gaza and many are seeking shelter in UNRWA schools as Israel prevents humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip. Public property protected under international humanitarian law, such as medical clinics, media outlets, the Legislative Council,

schools and cultural centers, and infrastructure such as water, electricity, and roads, amongst others, have also been targeted, which could constitute serious violations of international law and may well amount to war crimes.

At the same time, twelve Israeli civilians, including two children, have been killed by rockets fired from Gaza by Palestinian armed groups into Israeli urban areas. It is to be underlined that intentionally directing attacks against civilians, and intentionally launching disproportionate and indiscriminate attacks constitute violations of international humanitarian law.

In such context, the actions undertaken within international justice and accountability mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation on the Situation in Palestine, are an essential barrier to the cycle of violations. It is necessary here to recall that, last April, representatives of Palestinian families from Sheikh Jarrah sent a letter, endorsed by more than 190 organizations, to the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC, asking to include urgently the imminent forced displacement of Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah as part of the open investigation.

Today, it is necessary to ensure that violations of international law are not repeated and do not go unpunished. We therefore call on the international community to take five immediate, effective and concrete steps to end the cycles of violence and impunity and protect the Palestinian people:

• Call on States to declare an embargo on the direct and indirect supply, sale or transfer of all arms and munitions to the belligerent parties;
• Publicly and actively support accountability efforts, including the ongoing investigation by the ICC into international crimes committed in Palestine (including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank);
• Call for the establishment of an independent investigation into violations of international humanitarian and human rights law be it in Palestine (including in Gaza and the West Bank) or in Israel;
• Take targeted sanctions against those responsible for human rights violations and serious breaches of international humanitarian law, encouraging the international community to take a firm stand in this regard; and
• Urge Israel to comply with its legal obligation to lift the blockade of Gaza and to end its discriminatory laws and practices as well as its settlement activities in the occupied West Bank, including East

Signatories :

1. Afghanistan – Armanshahr/ Open Asia
2. Armenia – Civil Society Institute
3. Bangladesh – Odhikar
4. Bolivia – Asamblea Permanente de Derechos Humanos de Bolivia
5. Botswana – Ditshwanelo – The Botswana Centre For Human Rights
6. Brasil – Justiça Global
7. Brasil – Movimento Nacional de Direitos Humanos
8. Canada – Ligue des Droits et Libertés (LDL) – Québec
9. Chile – Corporacion de Promocion y Defensa de los Derechos del Pueblo
10. Dominican Republic – Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos

11. Ecuador – Accion Ecológica
12. Ecuador – Comisión Ecuménica de Derechos Humanos
13. Ecuador – Fundación Regional de Asesoria en Derechos Humanos
14. El Salvador – Comision de Derechos Humanos del Salvador
15. Finland – Finnish League for Human Rights
16. France – Ligue des Droits de l’Homme
17. Germany – Internationale Liga Fur Menschenrechte
18. Guinea – Organisation Guinéenne pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme
19. Guinea Bissau – Liga Guineense dos Direitos Humanos
20. Gulf – Gulf Centre for Human Rights
21. Haiti – Réseau National de Défense des Droits de l’Homme
22. Honduras – Centro de Investigación y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos
23. Honduras – Comité de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos en Honduras
24. India – Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons
25. India – Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI)
26. Iran – Ligue de Défense des Droits de l’Homme en Iran
27. Ireland – Free Legal Advice Centres
28. Laos – Mouvement Lao pour les Droits de L’Homme
29. Latvia – Latvian Human Rights Committee
30. Lebanon – Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council
31. Malaysia – Suara Rakyat Malaysia
32. Maldives – Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN)
33. Mexico – Comision Mexicana de Defensa y Promocion de los Derechos Humanos
34. Mexico – Liga Mexicana Por La Defensa de Los Derechos Humanos
35. Morocco – Association Marocaine pour les Droits Humains
36. Myanmar – Altsean Burma
37. Pakistan – Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
38. Palestine – Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
39. Palestine – Ramallah Centre for Human Rights Studies
40. Peru – Asociacion Pro Derechos Humanos
41. Portugal – Liga Portuguesa dos Direitos Humanos – Civitas
42. Senegal – Rencontre Africaine pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme
43. Spain – Asociacion Pro Derechos Humanos de Espana
44. Switzerland – Ligue Suisse des Droits de l’Homme
45. Syria – Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression
46. The Netherlands – Liga Voor de Rechten Van de Mens
47. Tunisia – Association Tunisienne des Femmes Démocrates
48. Turkey – Insan Haklari Dernegi (IHD) / Ankara
49. UK – Committee on the Administration of Justice
50. USA – Center For Constitutional Rights
51. Yemen – Mwatana