Urgent Call for Accountability and Action to End Violations of International Law

I am writing to urgently express my profound concern regarding the ongoing violence against Palestinians, despite claims of a "ceasefire." On Sunday, February 2nd, while hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians attempted to return to their homes, Israel carried out multiple aerial strikes on central and southern Gaza. These attacks resulted in the tragic death of a child and left at least seven people injured, including two targeted by an Israeli drone in Khan Younis. Additionally, another Israeli drone fired two missiles at a civilian cart, and Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian homes in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza and in Rafah in the south. At the same time, Israel’s assault on the illegally occupied West Bank continues unabated. On February 2nd, Israeli forces demolished 23 buildings in Jenin, including 20 Palestinian family homes. A 73-year-old Palestinian man was also killed by Israeli gunfire in the Jenin refugee camp. This is not a ceasefire—it is the continuation of the status quo. Israel's actions, including the systematic killing, bombing, and destruction of Palestinian homes, mirror the violence that began on October 6, 2023. Moreover, despite an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reports suggest that he is now in the United States, potentially negotiating the annexation of parts of the West Bank and furthering the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their land. As members of the international community, we have a moral and legal duty to hold Israel accountable for these crimes and to ensure that the ceasefire is properly enforced. To this end, I strongly urge that we take immediate and concrete actions, including suspending all diplomatic and trade relations with Israel. A full arms embargo is necessary to ensure that weapons manufactured in our country are not contributing to the ongoing bloodshed or enabling Israel’s apartheid system, as defined by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). We have witnessed the effectiveness of sanctions in halting egregious human rights abuses, and similar measures must be applied here. A two-way trade embargo and the cessation of all diplomatic relations with a state that is currently under investigation for genocide, with leaders facing war crime charges at the ICC, should be the minimum response. This is a call for international law to be upheld and for the fundamental human rights of all people, including Palestinians, to be protected. Done (Write all)