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By Emma Rosenau. In April of 2019, I visited Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. I had committed to go to school there and was going for…
Read morePetition to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres
We, members of Latin American communities united by a shared commitment to preserving the memory and dignity of the victims and survivors of the October 7, 2023 attacks, submit this petition to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
On that fateful October 7, Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups carried out a brutal attack against Israel. Innocent civilians were murdered, tortured, and subjected to acts of sexual violence. The victims included women, children, infants, and older adults. That same day, 251 people were abducted and taken hostage in Gaza. Many remained there for more than two years. Only after 843 days was the last hostage remaining in Gaza recovered and returned to Israel. Tragically, many of those abducted did not return alive.
Three years later, amid the persistence of antisemitism and narratives that deny, trivialize, or seek to justify the violence committed by Hamas, we believe that remembrance alone is not enough. Memory also demands accountability and action.
We therefore call on the Secretary-General, before the end of his term, to:
By signing this petition, we reaffirm our commitment to honoring the memory of those who were murdered, standing with those who survived and continue to recover from visible and invisible wounds, and supporting the families who continue to bear the consequences of October 7.
We also reaffirm our commitment to the right of the State of Israel to exist, to the right of the Jewish people to live in security and exercise self-determination, and to the right of all people in the region to live in peace, security, and dignity.
We raise our voices for those who can no longer raise their own.
Remembrance also means action.
Petição ao Secretário-Geral das Nações Unidas, António Guterres
Nós, membros de comunidades latino-americanas, unidos pelo compromisso de preservar a memória e a dignidade das vítimas e sobreviventes dos ataques do 7 de outubro de 2023, apresentamos esta petição ao Secretário-Geral das Nações Unidas.
Naquele fatídico 7 de outubro, o Hamas e outros grupos terroristas palestinos realizaram um ataque brutal contra Israel. Civis inocentes foram assassinados, torturados e vítimas de atos de violência sexual. Entre as vítimas havia mulheres, crianças, bebês e idosos. Nesse mesmo dia, 251 pessoas foram sequestradas e levadas como reféns para Gaza. Muitos permaneceram lá por mais de dois anos. Somente após 843 dias, o último refém que permanecia em Gaza foi recuperado e devolvido a Israel. Muitos dos sequestrados, lamentavelmente, não retornaram com vida.
Três anos depois, diante da persistência do antissemitismo e de narrativas que negam, banalizam ou buscam justificar a violência cometida pelo Hamas, acreditamos que recordar não é suficiente. A memória exige também responsabilidade e ação.
Por isso, solicitamos ao Secretário-Geral que, antes de concluir seu mandato:
Ao assinar esta petição, reafirmamos nosso compromisso com a memória daqueles que foram assassinados, com aqueles que sobreviveram e continuam se recuperando de feridas visíveis e invisíveis, e com as famílias que carregam até hoje as consequências do 7 de outubro.
Reafirmamos também nosso compromisso com o direito do Estado de Israel de existir, com o direito do povo judeu de viver com segurança e autodeterminação, e com o direito de todas as pessoas da região de viver em paz, segurança e dignidade.
Levantamos a nossa voz por aqueles que já não podem fazê-lo.
Recordar também é agir.
To: Mr. Karim A. A. Khan KC
Chief Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Oude Waalsdorperweg 10, 2597 AK Den Haag, Netherlands
Dear Mr. Khan,
I, the undersigned, am gravely concerned by the ongoing atrocities perpetrated by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and other Palestinian armed groups in Israel, parties over which the International Criminal Court (ICC) Pre-Trial Chamber has determined it has jurisdiction. I commend your visit to Israel to meet personally with victims and their families. Given the ICC’s mission to ensure accountability for international crimes, I urge your immediate intervention by requesting arrest warrants against those responsible for these appalling acts and ensuring accountability for the crimes committed.
Beginning on the 7th of October, terrorists belonging to the above-mentioned groups infiltrated Israel to massacre over 1,200 individuals, including children, women, and the elderly, and injured over 5,550 more. The victims of these atrocities include both Israeli nationals as well as nationals from 25 different countries.
Evidence collected by first responders who handled the bodies of the victims, video recordings taken by the perpetrators themselves, and recorded interrogations of the terrorists have revealed the commission of atrocious acts. This includes a systematic campaign of sexual violence, including rape and genital mutilation, castration, beheading, dismemberment, and burning of bodies.
The leaders of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and other armed groups orchestrated a mass abduction of over 240 people, including 40 children. These groups have launched over 10,000 rockets, intentionally targeting Israeli civilian neighborhoods and cities. (The Iron Dome’s efficacy against rocket attacks and Israel’s investment in bomb shelters for its civilians does not negate the blatant unlawfulness of this tactic.)
Israeli civil society groups and human rights defenders are working diligently to preserve evidence of these crimes, which were live-streamed on social media channels by the perpetrators as the massacre was still unfolding. As clear and indisputable violations of international humanitarian and criminal law, they must be included in the Situation in Palestine, which is already open and ongoing.
These crimes include the following war crimes:
Additionally, crimes against humanity were and are also being committed by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups. These include, among others:
Furthermore, Hamas and Palestinian armed groups’ actions of October 7 could potentially amount to genocide, a crime under the ICC jurisdiction per article 6 of the Rome Statute.
It is imperative that your Office request that the Pre-Trial Chamber issue arrest warrants for the following Hamas officials who exercised command and control of the October 7th attack, in accordance with article 58 of the Rome Statute:
The speedy issuance of arrest warrants is essential to ensure their appearance at trial and prevent the continued commission of their crimes, which shocks the conscience of humanity.
The atrocities taking place in Israel are unprecedented, and they cannot remain neglected by the body that has already stated that it has jurisdiction over the crimes committed by Hamas and Palestinian armed groups. Accordingly, I urge you to pursue the aforementioned arrest warrants and ensure accountability for the crimes committed.
Sincerely,
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