End Israel’s Impunity Now

Statement from Friends of the Earth International, originally published on their website

 

Friends of the Earth International vehemently condemns the brutal and senseless massacre and ongoing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza by the Israeli occupation. Since Israel broke the ceasefire agreement last Tuesday, March 18, more than 700 people, including many children, have been killed in overnight strikes while countless others have also been injured.

Hospitals, refugee tents, and entire families have been deliberately targeted in this latest Israeli massacre. The Director of the Gaza Health Ministry reports that the health situation is catastrophic, with 25 out of 38 hospitals out of service, and the remaining unable to meet the growing needs. The Director of Al-Shifa Hospital has stated that one of the wounded dies every minute due to a lack of resources.

The Israeli occupation has repeatedly violated and disrupted the terms of the ceasefire agreement since it came into effect two months ago. Throughout this period, Gaza’s Government Media Office has reported that the Israeli Defense Forces have killed and injured dozens of Palestinians through air strikes and shootings , as well as blocking entry of the stipulated levels of aid and emergency relief. The Israeli occupation has also attempted to extend phase one of the ceasefire agreement while avoiding progression to the second phase, as initially agreed. 

Friends of the Earth International strongly condemns these deliberate actions for the role that Israel has played in jeopardising the ceasefire agreement and continuing to escalate this genocide.

Since October 2023, the attacks against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank have been cruel, barbaric and dehumanising. They have also been part of a broader effort to intentionally deprive and destroy the Palestinian people. Palestinians are being subjected to genocide. No other word  can fully capture the utter devastation and disaster that the Israeli occupation – propped up and backed by the US and other governments – has rained down upon the Palestinians and their land. 

Through our work, Friends of the Earth is well acquainted with the ways in which countries and corporations destroy and harm the planet. Yet very little has appalled and alarmed us to the extent of the deliberate actions taken to pollute and ruin Gaza’s land, air and water – these same actions are greatly impacting the already deteriorating state of health in the enclave.

For more than a year, Friends of the Earth International has repeatedly called this out for what it is — an ecocide as well as a genocide — and pleaded with those in positions of power, to take urgent action and implement the necessary measures to finally put a halt to these crimes. 

A recent UN report documented the systematic use of sexual, reproductive and other gender-based violence by the Israeli Security Forces since October 2023. The report also mentioned that genocidal acts have been committed by Israel through the systematic destruction of sexual and reproductive healthcare facilities in Gaza. Forced public stripping and nudity, and sexual harassment including threats of rape, as well as sexual assault are specific forms of sexual and gender-based violence that have been reportedly carried out by Israel’s security forces against  Palestinians. 

Israel’s impunity has been enabled for far too long and we are witnessing the consequences of it not only in Gaza and the West Bank, but now also in other parts of the region. 

Call to Action

In solidarity with our Palestinian member organisation, PENGON, and all those affected, Friends of the Earth International is calling for international mobilisation to demand all governments, especially Israel’s powerful allies:

• Use all diplomatic and economic mechanisms at their disposal to deter Israel’s attacks on Gaza and the West Bank, beginning with a comprehensive military and energy embargo, as determined by the ICJ decision, ceasing the import and export of arms, military assistance, dual use technology, spare parts and fuel to Israel in order to prevent further deaths and damage to the land.

• Demand the immediate opening of Gaza’s borders and ensure the unrestricted entry of food, medicine, and fuel

• Demand Israel respect the International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision, which unequivocally affirmed that the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip is illegal and must end immediately.

As the only country with true leverage against Israel, we also call on the US government specifically to end their unconditional support for the occupation and genocide. 

Governments who fail to do everything in their power to put a halt to these attacks, and instead assist the Israeli occupation and apartheid regime, risk being found complicit in genocide.

International humanitarian law must be respected by all parties, allowing the immediate provision of humanitarian aid, and the protection of Gazan civilians by ending this genocide.