Peticion de Apoyo a 7 de octubre
POR LA MEMORIA DEL 7 DE OCTUBRE, CONTRA EL ODIO Y EL TERRORISMO
Petición dirigida al Secretario General de las Naciones Unidas, António Guterres. A tres años de los ataques terroristas del 7 de octubre de 2023 perpetrados por Hamas, alzamos nuestra voz para preservar la memoria y la dignidad de las víctimas y sobrevivientes, enfrentar el antisemitismo y rechazar toda forma de negación, banalización o justificación de las atrocidades cometidas aquel día.
PETICIÓN POR LA MEMORIA DEL 7 DE OCTUBRE, CONTRA EL ODIO Y EL TERRORISMO
Petición al Secretario General de las Naciones Unidas, António Guterres
Nosotros, miembros de comunidades latinoamericanas unidos por el compromiso de preservar la memoria y la dignidad de las víctimas y sobrevivientes de los ataques del 7 de octubre de 2023, elevamos esta petición al Secretario General de las Naciones Unidas.
Ese fatídico 7 de octubre, Hamas y otros grupos terroristas palestinos llevaron a cabo un brutal ataque contra Israel. Civiles inocentes fueron asesinados, torturados y víctimas de actos de violencia sexual. Entre las víctimas había mujeres, niños, bebés y adultos mayores. Ese mismo día, 251 personas fueron secuestradas y llevadas como rehenes a Gaza. Muchos permanecieron allí durante más de dos años. Solo después de 843 días fue recuperado y devuelto a Israel el último rehén que permanecía en Gaza. Muchos de los secuestrados, lamentablemente, no regresaron con vida.
Tres años después, frente a la persistencia del antisemitismo y de narrativas que niegan, banalizan o buscan justificar la violencia cometida por Hamas, creemos que recordar no es suficiente. La memoria exige también responsabilidad y acción.
Por ello, solicitamos al Secretario General que, antes de concluir su mandato:
- condene de manera inequívoca el terrorismo de Hamas y la toma de rehenes, sin justificaciones ni relativizaciones;
- garantice que, en el marco de las Naciones Unidas, se otorguen de manera efectiva la prioridad, los espacios, la atención y los recursos necesarios para combatir el antisemitismo, la negación y banalización de los ataques del 7 de octubre y toda forma de incitación al odio contra el pueblo judío;
- vele para que los órganos y mecanismos de las Naciones Unidas actúen conforme a los principios de imparcialidad, universalidad y no selectividad, y aseguren que sus espacios no sean utilizados para legitimar discursos de odio, incitación o deshumanización dirigidos contra el Estado de Israel;
- brinde los espacios institucionales y simbólicos correspondientes para preservar y amplificar las voces de las víctimas y sobrevivientes del 7 de octubre, de modo que sus historias formen parte de la memoria colectiva internacional.
Al firmar esta petición, reafirmamos nuestro compromiso con la memoria de quienes fueron asesinados, con quienes sobrevivieron y continúan recuperándose de heridas visibles e invisibles, y con las familias que cargan hasta hoy con las consecuencias del 7 de octubre.
Reafirmamos también nuestro compromiso con el derecho del Estado de Israel a existir, con el derecho del pueblo judío a vivir con seguridad y autodeterminación, y con el derecho de todas las personas de la región a vivir en paz, seguridad y dignidad.
Alzamos nuestra voz por quienes ya no pueden hacerlo.
Recordar es también actuar.
Una iniciativa de
PETICIÓN POR LA MEMORIA DEL 7 DE OCTUBRE, CONTRA EL ODIO Y EL TERRORISMO
Justice Before Diplomacy - Indict the IRGC
Don't Let the Iranian Revolutionary
Guard Corps (IRGC) Walk Free
The US and Iran are moving toward a peace deal. A political ceasefire cannot become a free pass for war crimes, including the assassination of 40,000 civilian protestors. Add your name and demand that the men who launched thousands of missiles at civilians face arrest, not amnesty.
PETITION: Justice Before Diplomacy. Indict the IRGC.
TO: The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and European Justice Ministries
A US-Iran peace deal cannot mean amnesty for war crimes.
In January 2026, the Iranian regime assassinated 40,000 civilian protestors. Between February and April 2026, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched an unprecedented campaign of terror, firing over 2,300 ballistic missiles and 5,350 drones at civilian centers across Israel and the broader Middle East.
This devastation was not collateral damage. It was the strategic objective. The IRGC deliberately used illegal cluster bombs in densely populated cities to maximize civilian casualties, a severe violation of international law.
We cannot allow the architects of this massacre to live, travel, and bank freely in the West under the cover of a new diplomatic arrangement. The ICC and European prosecutors have the legal jurisdiction to act right now.
We, the undersigned, demand the immediate issuance of binding international arrest warrants for the IRGC command structure and Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
Petition to Stop Funding UNRWA
What happens when well-meaning Western donors feed money to a UN agency that turns a blind eye to terrorism? The numbers tell the story.
On October 7th:
- 133 UNRWA school graduates invaded Israel to murder and kidnap Israeli civilians
- 12 UNRWA staff directly participated in the massacre
- 2 UNRWA teachers held hostages captive in their own homes
- 30 UNRWA teachers publicly celebrated the violence on social media
- 1,200 UNRWA staff quietly helped Hamas with cars, weapons, money, information, and hideouts
PETITION
His Excellency Mr. António Guterres
Secretary-General United Nations
New York, NY 10017
Your Excellency,
I was horrified to learn that UN employees directly participated in the October 7th massacre, held Israeli hostages captive in their own homes, and celebrated the massacre on social media. It is unacceptable that the United Nations has thousands of terrorists on its payroll, and that it uses donor money to indoctrinate generations of Palestinian children into Hamas’ radical ideology.
The UN cannot sweep away these allegations with a perfunctory “investigation.” This antisemitic agency must be immediately defunded. No donor money should be restored until and unless UNRWA is radically restructured and reformed! Don’t restore funding to UNRWA without:
- New mandate that promotes acceptance of Israel’s existence
- UNESCO-approved curriculum that promotes peace and tolerance, not Jew hatred
- Purge all terror-affiliates from the payroll
- Routine independent audits of all facilities and finances
- An independent ombudsperson to investigate claims of whistleblowers
The people of Gaza deserve better than UNRWA. They deserve food, medicine, education, and shelter delivered by transparent organizations that are not routinely infiltrated by terrorists. They deserve to receive humanitarian aid and not see most of it stolen by Hamas. They deserve schools that promote coexistence with Jews and other minorities in the Middle East.
I support sending aid to Gaza through the World Food Program and UNHCR in the meantime. Thank you for your attention to this important issue.
STOP FUNDING HAMAS THROUGH UNRWA!
Facts that you must know about UNRWA.
Did you know that the UN has a separate agency that only serves Palestinians? There is no other people group in the world that gets their own UN agency. This organization is now on the 76th year of its original 3-year mandate. Instead of helping Palestinians settle down and build peaceful communities, for decades UNRWA has used money from generous Western donors to perpetuate the conflict under the guise of “humanitarianism.”
Did you know that UNRWA created its own definition of “refugee” status? In the rest of the world, refugees are people who are forced to flee their country of origin. They are served by the UN’s Refugee agency, which helps them gain citizenship and adjust to their new lives in new places. But UNRWA doesn’t want Palestinians to adjust to reality. If they did, UNRWA would go out of business! Instead it extends “refugee” status to the original refugees’ great-great-grandchildren, and beyond. Thanks to UNRWA, there are scores of Palestinian millionaires who hold multiple foreign passports, yet are still
Did you know that UNRWA runs 278 schools for 291,000 Gazan children? In these schools, the UN teaches Palestinian children that they are “refugees,” even though they are Palestinians living on Palestinian land. UNRWA praises terrorists who kill Jews, celebrates martyrdom, and teaches students that one day Israel will be destroyed.
Did you know that UNRWA almost exclusively hires Palestinians? No Jews allowed! Every other UN agency is staffed by people from around the world. This helps UN agencies maintain genuine “neutrality” in conflict zones that are full of political tension. But UNRWA is unique. Over 99% of its employees are Palestinian nationals. According to Israeli intelligence, approximately 15% of adult males in Gaza have ties to Hamas. But within the staff of UNRWA, it’s 23%. A greater percentage of UN employees in Gaza are Hamas-affiliated than the general populace of Gaza!
NOW is the time to radically restructure UNRWA to stop the ongoing radicalization of Palestinian society. Why? Because Palestinians deserve better than UNRWA.
Help us meet this moment. Sign our petition to STOP FUNDING UNRWA until and unless the agency is radically reformed and restructured.
What happens when well-meaning Western donors feed money to a UN agency that turns a blind eye to terrorism? The numbers tell the story.
On October 7th:
- 133 UNRWA school graduates invaded Israel to murder and kidnap Israeli civilians,
- 12 UNRWA staff directly participated in the massacre,
- 2 UNRWA teachers held hostages captive in their own homes,
- 30 UNRWA teachers publicly celebrated the violence on social media, while
- 1,200 UNRWA staff quietly helped Hamas with cars, weapons, money, information, and hideouts.
In the wake of these damning revelations, 14 donor countries, led by the United States, have paused their funding to UNRWA, demanding an investigation. It’s a good first step, but this call for an “investigation” could be an invitation to sweep UNRWA’s problems under the rug. Fire a few people, blame the “few bad apples,” rename a few departments, and turn the money spigot back on. Why? Because “UNRWA is the only option.”
UNRWA is the only option because Hamas made it that way. UNRWA developed a monopoly on aid delivery in Gaza because it is the only aid agency in the world that has been willing to play by Hamas’ rules, which are: see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
- When Hamas puts its members on the payroll, UNRWA allows it because Hamas isn’t recognized as a terrorist group by the UN!
- When Hamas stores rockets, grenades, and suicide belts inside UN schools, shelters, and clinics, UNRWA pretends not to see.
- When Hamas fighters jump onto aid trucks to steal their contents, UNRWA claims they’re just providing security.
You understand the problem now. You see that we can’t waste this moment. Now is the time to radically restructure UNRWA to stop the ongoing radicalization of Palestinian society.
Why? Because Palestinians deserve better than UNRWA. They deserve food, medicine, and shelter delivered by transparent organizations that are not routinely infiltrated by terrorists. They deserve to receive humanitarian aid and not see most of it stolen by Hamas. They deserve schools that promote coexistence with Jews and other minorities in the Middle East.
Help us meet this moment. Sign our petition to STOP FUNDING UNRWA until and unless the agency is radically reformed and restructured.
Click the button below if you wish to support our ongoing efforts.
Hamas is a Terrorist Organization - Petition to the United Nations (UN)
34 UNITED STATES SENATORS SIGNED A BIPARTISAN LETTER DRAFTED BY THE JERUSALEM INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE URGING THE UN TO DESIGNATE HAMAS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.
34 United States Senators just signed a bipartisan letter drafted by the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, urging the United Nations to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization. Click here to read the letter.
Despite Hamas’ live-streamed atrocities on October 7th, including murdering civilians, taking hostages, mass rape, torture, dismemberment, and beheading … the United Nations still does not recognize them as a terrorist organization! The UN considers the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and the Islamic State to be terrorists, but not Hamas?
This must change. NOW!
Join us in thanking Senators James Lankford (R-OH) & Jacky Rosen (D-NV) for taking the lead on this important initiative.
Add your voice to this committed group of Senators, who are true friends of Israel, and urge Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, to make this a top priority in her negotiation at the UN. Sign the petition below.
PETITION TO US AMBASSADOR TO THE UN
Dear Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield:
We write with our utmost concern regarding the recent terrorist attacks on Israel by Hamas and other terrorist organizations in the region. We commend your unequivocal condemnation of Hamas’ terrorism and your support for Israel’s right to defend its people. Recent events have demonstrated that Hamas’ actions, tactics, and stated goals are in many ways indistinguishable from Al Qaeda, ISIS, and other terrorist organizations the United Nations (UN) has sanctioned. Therefore, we write to urge you to bring a resolution to the UN Security Council recognizing and imposing sanctions on Hamas as a terrorist organization.
As you know, on October 7, 2023, thousands of Hamas terrorists launched attacks, including on civilian communities, in southern Israel, brutally murdering 1,400 innocent people and wounding 4,500 others.
Additionally, Hamas kidnapped over 240 men, women, and children – ranging from infants to Holocaust survivors. Hamas terrorists have committed and continue to commit abhorrent attacks that not only impact Israelis but also directly impact Americans citizens, with at least 32 Americans killed and countless more held in captive as a result of the terrorist attack on October 7. In fact, Hamas hostages come from 25 countries around the world. Hamas’ reign of terror is not just an Israeli problem, but one that impacts us all. Since October 1997, the U.S. Department of Treasury has designated Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
Additionally, these groups have been listed as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) since October 2001. Numerous other countries and international entities rightfully have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization, including Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Israel, the Organization of American States, Paraguay, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Switzerland is also actively exploring legal avenues to designate Hamas as a terrorist entity.
There are multiple consequences of the UN not recognizing Hamas as a terrorist organization. First, the lack of a unified voice among the international community risks eroding the UN’s credibility in response to one of the worst terrorist attacks in history. Additionally, as the largest financial contributor to the UN, the U.S. must take urgent action to prevent the flow of funds into the hands of Hamas. The absence of UN sanctions on Hamas is a glaring loophole, circumventing U.S. financial controls, such as the rigorous standards set by the U.S. Department of Treasury, potentially allowing Hamas to evade U.S. sanctions.
Furthermore, the lack of UN sanctions on Hamas enables them to bolster their capabilities by exploiting international financial channels, including accessing financial systems and soliciting donations from charities.
We are also concerned that a lack of UN sanctions enables Hamas to divert humanitarian aid for malicious intent, which deprives innocent Palestinian civilians of crucial assistance while simultaneously strengthening offensive capabilities used to attack Israel. Hamas continues to divert aid meant for civilians in order to fund its operations by:
- Imposing "taxes" on humanitarian consignments at border checkpoints;
- Seizing a segment of donated goods intended for Palestinian civilians and later selling them illicitly for financial gain;
- Seizing donated supplies – as Hamas did on October 16, 2023, when they took fuel meant for Gazan hospitals from a United Nations Relief and Works Agency site; and
- Dismantling and repurposing humanitarian facilities, like water and sewage components, to create rockets and missiles, some of which misfire and land in Gaza, causing Palestinian civilian casualties and posing threats to aid workers.
We therefore request you bring forward a UN resolution to recognize and sanction Hamas as a terrorist organization. Thank you for your consideration, and we look forward to your timely response.
Sincerely,
PETITION HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE UN. THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO SIGNED!
Free the Hostages - Petition to the International Red Cross
JERUSALEM INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE LEADS COALITION OF 50 GROUPS URGING THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS
TO SECURE RELEASE OF THE GAZA HOSTAGES
A coalition of 50 organizations urge the ICRC to verify the status of more than 150 Israelis kidnapped and taken to the Gaza Strip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4507HRUDpNQ
In the wake of Hamas’ barbaric rampage through the civilian communities of southern Israel, the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, an Israeli human rights NGO, led a coalition of 50 organizations in urging the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to verify the status of the 150+ Israeli hostages taken into captivity in Gaza.
“Hamas has openly advertised its penchant for torturing, raping, denying medical treatment, degrading, humiliating, and threatening to execute these hostages,” said Uri Morad, Director of International Law & Public Diplomacy for the Jerusalem Institute of Justice (JIJ). “The International Red Cross must act urgently to locate and establish communication with the kidnapped Israelis if it has any hope of fulfilling its mission and bringing an end to this war.”
In a joint letter, JIJ advocacy efforts were joined by prominent Israeli, North American, and European organizations who are committed to countering anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias, including the Anti-Defamation League, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, NGO Monitor, Middle East Forum, and StandWithUs. The group also included several Jewish and Christian communities, including the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, Israel Christian Nexus, and numerous diaspora synagogues.
Specifically, the coalition urged the International Red Cross to take the following steps:
- Locate and establish communication with the Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip.
- Call for Hamas to cease its heinous acts of raping and sexually abusing Israelis.
- Condemn the use of human shields as military targets, including hospitals and schools, and the horrifying practice of exhibiting and mutilating dead bodies.
- Facilitate the immediate return of the Israeli hostages.
“This past week constitutes the worst time in Jewish history since the Holocaust, a time when the International Red Cross was, by its own admission, ‘impotent’ in the face of Nazi persecution and genocide,” said Flavia Sevald, CEO of JIJ. “In today’s war, the perpetrators may have changed, but their agenda is the same. The International Red Cross has a double duty to get it right this time.”
The coalition urges the ICRC to locate the hostages, demand Hamas cease raping and abusing them, condemn using human shields, and facilitate the hostages' return to Israel. Lives hang in the balance.
The ICRC has a duty to act now to prevent further torture, rape, and murder of innocents. Sign and share this critical petition so that together, we can pressure the ICRC to pressure Hamas to #FreeTheHostages.
Jerusalem Institute of Justice (JIJ) is the only Israeli human rights NGO with consultative status before the United Nations that is pro-Israel. Within the international community, JIJ has persistently advocated for the release of Israeli citizens from captivity. Within Israel, JIJ provides free legal aid to minority ethnic and religious groups, with a track record of 25 precedent-setting victories in the Israeli Supreme Court.
PETITION TO THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS
Dear International Red Cross,
We, the undersigned, express our profound concerns regarding the current atrocities perpetrated by Hamas and other terrorist organizations within Israel. We respectfully urge the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to act in accordance with its mandate to prevent the ongoing breaches of International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
Commencing from the morning of Saturday, 7th October, Hamas and other terrorists affiliated with various extremist groups from the Gaza Strip have infiltrated Israeli territory, resulting in the mass murder and abduction of hundreds of civilians and soldiers. This ongoing terrorist assault represents a blatant and persistent violation of human rights and international humanitarian law, including customary law and Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions.
The data regarding this ongoing conflict is both alarming and unequivocal, resulting in the tragic loss of over 1,300 innocent lives and the abduction of more than 150 Israelis, including women, children, the elderly, and other individuals granted special protection under IHL. These abductions were carried out violently within their homes. Moreover, more than 3,000 individuals have sustained injuries. Notably, over 5,000 rockets have been indiscriminately launched towards Israeli citizens from the Gaza Strip, a clear violation of fundamental IHL rules. Evidence is also emerging of a pattern of gross human rights violations, including torture, dismemberment, beheadings, the use of rape as a weapon of war, and the desecration of victims' dead bodies and the use of the abducted as human shields.
The ICRC was established precisely to safeguard and assist victims of armed conflicts and ensure compliance with IHL. As part of its mission, the ICRC is obligated to actively contribute to the application of the law in armed conflict scenarios.
In light of this, we respectfully request that the ICRC undertake the following actions, integral to its mandate, to protect the rights of those being abducted, injured, killed, and targeted by Hamas and other terrorist groups:
- Locate and establish communication with kidnapped Israelis:
- Locate and establish communication with the Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip, ensuring their treatment and living conditions align with IHL. 1.
- Enforce compliance with IHL by Hamas and other terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip, specifically:
- Cease the murder of civilians and soldiers.
- Halt the indiscriminate launching of missiles and rockets.
- Stop targeting civilians and groups protected under IHL.
- Cease the heinous acts of raping and sexually abusing Israelis.
- End the use of human shields to cover military targets, including buildings such as hospitals and schools.
- Put an immediate stop to the horrifying practice of exhibiting and mutilating the bodies of those murdered by them.
- Return Israeli hostages taken into the Gaza Strip, including Hadar Goldin, Oron Shaul, Avera Mengistu, and Isham Al-Sayed. 1.
We are aware of the recent statement issued by the ICRC and we trust that, in line with its mission and commitment to humanity and IHL, the ICRC will urgently and effectively address these critical matters to alleviate the suffering and uphold the rights of those affected by this outrageous situation.
PETITION HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS. THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO SIGNED!
Free the Hostages - Petition to the International Red Cross
JERUSALEM INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE LEADS COALITION OF 50 GROUPS URGING THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS
TO SECURE RELEASE OF THE GAZA HOSTAGES
A coalition of 50 organizations urge the ICRC to verify the status of more than 150 Israelis kidnapped and taken to the Gaza Strip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4507HRUDpNQ
In the wake of Hamas’ barbaric rampage through the civilian communities of southern Israel, the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, an Israeli human rights NGO, led a coalition of 50 organizations in urging the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to verify the status of the 150+ Israeli hostages taken into captivity in Gaza.
“Hamas has openly advertised its penchant for torturing, raping, denying medical treatment, degrading, humiliating, and threatening to execute these hostages,” said Uri Morad, Director of International Law & Public Diplomacy for the Jerusalem Institute of Justice (JIJ). “The International Red Cross must act urgently to locate and establish communication with the kidnapped Israelis if it has any hope of fulfilling its mission and bringing an end to this war.”
In a joint letter, JIJ advocacy efforts were joined by prominent Israeli, North American, and European organizations who are committed to countering anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias, including the Anti-Defamation League, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, NGO Monitor, Middle East Forum, and StandWithUs. The group also included several Jewish and Christian communities, including the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, Israel Christian Nexus, and numerous diaspora synagogues.
Specifically, the coalition urged the International Red Cross to take the following steps:
- Locate and establish communication with the Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip.
- Call for Hamas to cease its heinous acts of raping and sexually abusing Israelis.
- Condemn the use of human shields as military targets, including hospitals and schools, and the horrifying practice of exhibiting and mutilating dead bodies.
- Facilitate the immediate return of the Israeli hostages.
“This past week constitutes the worst time in Jewish history since the Holocaust, a time when the International Red Cross was, by its own admission, ‘impotent’ in the face of Nazi persecution and genocide,” said Flavia Sevald, CEO of JIJ. “In today’s war, the perpetrators may have changed, but their agenda is the same. The International Red Cross has a double duty to get it right this time.”
The coalition urges the ICRC to locate the hostages, demand Hamas cease raping and abusing them, condemn using human shields, and facilitate the hostages' return to Israel. Lives hang in the balance.
The ICRC has a duty to act now to prevent further torture, rape, and murder of innocents. Sign and share this critical petition so that together, we can pressure the ICRC to pressure Hamas to #FreeTheHostages.
Jerusalem Institute of Justice (JIJ) is the only Israeli human rights NGO with consultative status before the United Nations that is pro-Israel. Within the international community, JIJ has persistently advocated for the release of Israeli citizens from captivity. Within Israel, JIJ provides free legal aid to minority ethnic and religious groups, with a track record of 25 precedent-setting victories in the Israeli Supreme Court.
PETITION TO THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS
Dear International Red Cross,
We, the undersigned, express our profound concerns regarding the current atrocities perpetrated by Hamas and other terrorist organizations within Israel. We respectfully urge the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to act in accordance with its mandate to prevent the ongoing breaches of International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
Commencing from the morning of Saturday, 7th October, Hamas and other terrorists affiliated with various extremist groups from the Gaza Strip have infiltrated Israeli territory, resulting in the mass murder and abduction of hundreds of civilians and soldiers. This ongoing terrorist assault represents a blatant and persistent violation of human rights and international humanitarian law, including customary law and Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions.
The data regarding this ongoing conflict is both alarming and unequivocal, resulting in the tragic loss of over 1,300 innocent lives and the abduction of more than 150 Israelis, including women, children, the elderly, and other individuals granted special protection under IHL. These abductions were carried out violently within their homes. Moreover, more than 3,000 individuals have sustained injuries. Notably, over 5,000 rockets have been indiscriminately launched towards Israeli citizens from the Gaza Strip, a clear violation of fundamental IHL rules. Evidence is also emerging of a pattern of gross human rights violations, including torture, dismemberment, beheadings, the use of rape as a weapon of war, and the desecration of victims' dead bodies and the use of the abducted as human shields.
The ICRC was established precisely to safeguard and assist victims of armed conflicts and ensure compliance with IHL. As part of its mission, the ICRC is obligated to actively contribute to the application of the law in armed conflict scenarios.
In light of this, we respectfully request that the ICRC undertake the following actions, integral to its mandate, to protect the rights of those being abducted, injured, killed, and targeted by Hamas and other terrorist groups:
- Locate and establish communication with kidnapped Israelis:
- Locate and establish communication with the Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip, ensuring their treatment and living conditions align with IHL. 1.
- Enforce compliance with IHL by Hamas and other terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip, specifically:
- Cease the murder of civilians and soldiers.
- Halt the indiscriminate launching of missiles and rockets.
- Stop targeting civilians and groups protected under IHL.
- Cease the heinous acts of raping and sexually abusing Israelis.
- End the use of human shields to cover military targets, including buildings such as hospitals and schools.
- Put an immediate stop to the horrifying practice of exhibiting and mutilating the bodies of those murdered by them.
- Return Israeli hostages taken into the Gaza Strip, including Hadar Goldin, Oron Shaul, Avera Mengistu, and Isham Al-Sayed. 1.
We are aware of the recent statement issued by the ICRC and we trust that, in line with its mission and commitment to humanity and IHL, the ICRC will urgently and effectively address these critical matters to alleviate the suffering and uphold the rights of those affected by this outrageous situation.
PETITION HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS. THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO SIGNED!
Stop the Apartheid Lie - Petition Against the UNHRC
With an extremely wide scope, an unreasonable budget of $18 million, 18 full-time employees and three members with a track record of hostility towards Israel chosen to lead the inquiry, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has initiated a permanent “Commission of Inquiry” (COI) into Israel, which constitutes a blatant and unprecedented direct attack on Israel.
The United Nations (UN) is perhaps the most biased global human rights organization in modern history when it comes to Israel. During the 70 plus years of Israel-UN relations, much ink has been spilled on the disproportionate preoccupation of the UN with Israel. Starting with a disgraceful resolution determining that Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination, to an unequivocal recognition by former UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon officially confirming that the UN is biased against Israel. But every time you think they hit rock bottom, a new low is waiting around the corner. This time the hypocrisy and prejudice that characterize the UN’s approach toward Israel have reached new lows.
With an extremely wide scope, an unreasonable budget of $18 million, 18 full-time employees and three members with a track record of hostility towards Israel chosen to lead the inquiry, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has initiated a permanent “Commission of Inquiry” (COI) into Israel, which constitutes a blatant and unprecedented direct attack on Israel.
The pretext for this inquiry was to investigate the May 2021, 11-day conflict between Israel and Hamas, in which Hamas fired thousands of indiscriminate rockets towards Israeli towns, killing innocent Israelis and Palestinians alike. The real reason for this inquiry though is to accuse Israel of systematic discrimination and repression based on the national, ethnic, racial or religious identity of Palestinians. In other words, to classify Israel as an Apartheid state.
The UN refuses to allow the facts and the reality on the ground to divert it from its course. A reality in which Arab Israelis are intertwined in all aspects of the Israeli society. They are leading commanders in the Israeli Defense Forces, they hold high positions in the Israeli Police Forces, and they serve as ministers, diplomats, and even judges at the Israeli Supreme Court. But all of this is completely irrelevant for the UN.
As part of the orchestrated apartheid campaign, Amnesty International, the world’s largest human rights organization and a leading player in antisemitic campaigns, published a 211-page report accusing Israel of implementing an institutionalized regime of Jewish oppression and control over the Palestinians. The report denies Israel’s right to exist as the nation state of the Jewish people. It is a clear and blatant demonstration of modern antisemitism. It features twisted legal analyses and a series of fabrications intertwined with ridiculous terminology. One that describes, inter alia, the designated terror group Hamas, as an “Armed Group”.
The publication of the report at this time is intended to strengthen the legitimacy of the UNHRC Committee and its conclusions. A foregone conclusion. In addition, Amnesty calls on the international community to exercise pressure on Israel by calling for an Arms Embargo on Israel and calling on the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague to investigate Israel for committing the crime of Apartheid.
Israel understands very well that this is a rigged game. The committee’s conclusions were reached even before the committee began its work. I expect that the committee will determine that Israel is an apartheid state.
A similar process took place several months ago when the International Criminal Court in The Hague announced the opening of a criminal investigation against Israel, in a disgraceful political decision that lacks any legal or moral justification.
Israel has officially announced that it will not cooperate with the UNHRC probe and will not allow its members to enter Israel. Israel has recently refused a request by Ms. Navi Pillay, the Commission’s chair to meet with Israeli officials. This will not be the first time that Israel chooses not to cooperate with initiatives and resolutions that meet all the characteristics of modern antisemitism. Open boycott instead of cooperation, is Israel’s new approach.
PETITION TO THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
Dear United Nations Human Rights Council,
I stand with the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, an Israeli NGO fighting to promote human rights, defend democracy, and improve the overall quality of life for Israelis and Palestinians alike, and find it of the utmost importance to reject the so-called independent commission named “The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel”.
The mandate and structure of this “inquiry” have been designed to rewrite history from 1948, to find Israel guilty of apartheid and to declare the “root causes” of “conflict” to be Jewish infringement of Muslim rights. The commission’s plan is to falsely accuse Israel of racism, to validate criminal prosecutions of Israelis and to call upon “third states” and “business enterprises” to boycott, divest and sanction Israel.
Also, the three members of this Commission are anything but independent. The head of the commission, Navi Pillay, was a key leader of the 2001 UN Durban World Conference against Racism which called Israel a racist state. As United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights during the 2008-9 and 2014 Gaza wars, Pillay played a pivotal role in promoting the Goldstone report and the outrageous slander that Israel targeted and murdered children. Since leaving office, she’s made a habit of promoting BDS and accusing Israel of apartheid. In addition, the two other members of the committee, Miloon Kothari and Chris Sidoti, both hold anti-Israel extremism and Palestinian partisanship records.
The result of this witch hunt is a foregone conclusion. Therefore we demand the Human Rights Council to revoke the resolution forming this commission.
Petition to the International Association of Prosecutors
Petition to the International Association of Prosecutors
The Hague, September 2017
Dear members of the IAP Executive Committee and the Senate, dear members of the IAP,
In the run-up to the annual conference and general meeting of the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) in Beijing, China, the undersigned civil society organisations urge the IAP to live up to its vision and bolster its efforts to preserve the integrity of the profession.
Increasingly, in many regions of the world, in clear breach of professional integrity and fair trial standards, public prosecutors use their powers to suppress critical voices.
In China, over the last two years, dozens of prominent lawyers, labour rights advocates and activists have been targeted by the prosecution service[1]. Many remain behind bars, convicted or in prolonged detention for legal and peaceful activities protected by international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Azerbaijan is in the midst of a major crackdown on civil rights defenders, bloggers and journalists, imposing hefty sentences on fabricated charges in trials that make a mockery of justice[2]. In Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkey many prosecutors play an active role in the repression of human rights defenders, and in committing, covering up or condoning other grave human rights abuses[3].
Patterns of abusive practices by prosecutors in these and other countries ought to be of grave concern to the professional associations they belong to, such as the IAP. Upholding the rule of law and human rights is a key aspect of the profession of a prosecutor, as is certified by the IAP’s Standards of Professional Responsibility and Statement of the Essential Duties and Rights of Prosecutors, that explicitly refer to the importance of observing and protecting the right to a fair trial and other human rights at all stages of work[4].
Maintaining the credibility of the profession should be a key concern for the IAP. This requires explicit steps by the IAP to introduce a meaningful human rights policy. Such steps will help to counter devaluation of ethical standards in the profession, revamp public trust in justice professionals and protect the organisation and its members from damaging reputational impact and allegations of whitewashing or complicity in human rights abuses.
For the second year in a row, civil society appeals to the IAP to honour its human rights responsibilities by introducing a tangible human rights policy. In particular:
We urge the IAP Executive Committee and the Senate to:
- introduce human rights due diligence and compliance procedures for new and current members, including scope for complaint mechanisms with respect to institutional and individual members, making information public about its institutional members and creating openings for stakeholder engagement from the side of civil society and victims of human rights abuses[5].
We call on individual members of the IAP to:
- raise the problem of a lack of human rights compliance mechanisms at the IAP and thoroughly discuss the human rights implications before making decisions about hosting IAP meetings;
- identify relevant human rights concerns before travelling to IAP conferences and meetings and raise these issues with their counterparts from countries where politically-motivated prosecution and human rights abuses by prosecution authorities are reported by intergovernmental organisations and internationally renowned human rights groups.
Supporting organisations:
Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, Benin
Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa, Kwekwe
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
Asia Justice and Rights, Jakarta
Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, Chiang Mai
Asian Human Rights Commission, Hong Kong SAR
Asia Monitor Resource Centre, Hong Kong SAR
Association for Legal Intervention, Warsaw
Association Humanrights.ch, Bern
Association Malienne des Droits de l'Homme, Bamako
Association of Ukrainian Human Rights Monitors on Law Enforcement, Kyiv
Associazione Antigone, Rome
Barys Zvozskau Belarusian Human Rights House in exile, Vilnius
Belarusian Helsinki Committee, Minsk
Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, Sofia
Canadian Human Rights International Organisation, Toronto
Center for Civil Liberties, Kyiv
Centre for Development and Democratization of Institutions, Tirana
Centre for the Development of Democracy and Human Rights, Moscow
Center for the Judiciary Watch of the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD), Seoul
China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, Hong Kong SAR
Civil Rights Defenders, Stockholm
Civil Society Institute, Yerevan
Citizen Watch, St. Petersburg
Collective Human Rights Defenders “Laura Acosta” International Organization COHURIDELA, Toronto
Comunidad de Derechos Humanos, La Paz
Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos, Lima
Destination Justice, Phnom Penh
East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project, Kampala
Equality Myanmar, Yangon
Faculty of Law - University of Indonesia, Depok
Fair Trials, London
Federation of Equal Journalists, Almaty
Former Vietnamese Prisoners of Conscience, Hanoi
Free Press Unlimited, Amsterdam
Front Line Defenders, Dublin
Foundation ADRA Poland, Wroclaw
German-Russian Exchange, Berlin
Gram Bharati Samiti, Jaipur
Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor, Yerevan
Helsinki Association of Armenia, Yerevan
Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Warsaw
Human Rights Center Azerbaijan, Baku
Human Rights Center Georgia, Tbilisi
Human Rights Embassy, Chisinau
Human Rights House Foundation, Oslo
Human Rights Information Center, Kyiv
Human Rights Matter, Berlin
Human Rights Monitoring Institute, Vilnius
Human Rights Now, Tokyo
Human Rights Without Frontiers International, Brussels
Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, Budapest
IDP Women Association "Consent", Tbilisi
IMPARSIAL, the Indonesian Human Rights Monitor, Jakarta
Index on Censorship, London
Indonesian Legal Roundtable, Jakarta
Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, Jakarta
Institute for Democracy and Mediation, Tirana
Institute for Development of Freedom of Information, Tbilisi
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
International Partnership for Human Rights, Brussels
International Service for Human Rights, Geneva
International Youth Human Rights Movement
Jerusalem Institute of Justice, Jerusalem
Jordan Transparency Center, Amman
Justiça Global, Rio de Janeiro
Justice and Peace Netherlands, The Hague
Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, Almaty
Kharkiv Regional Foundation Public Alternative, Kharkiv
Kosovo Center for Transparency, Accountability and Anti-Corruption - KUND 16, Prishtina
Kosova Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims, Prishtina
Lawyers for Lawyers, Amsterdam
Lawyers for Liberty, Kuala Lumpur
League of Human Rights, Brno
Macedonian Helsinki Committee, Skopje
Masyarakat Pemantau Peradilan Indonesia (Mappi FH-UI), Depok
National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders, Kampala
Netherlands Helsinki Committee, The Hague
Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM), Utrecht University, Utrecht
NGO "Aru ana", Aktobe
Pakistan Rural Workers Social Welfare Organization (PRWSWO), Bahawalpur
Pen International, London
Philippine Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), Manila
Promo-LEX Association, Chisinau
Protection International, Brussels
Protection of Rights Without Borders, Yerevan
Public Association Dignity, Astana
Public Association "Our Right", Kokshetau
Public Fund "Ar.Ruh.Hak", Almaty
Public Fund "Ulagatty Zhanaya", Almaty
Public Verdict Foundation, Moscow
Regional Center for Strategic Studies, Baku/ Tbilisi
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Lagos
Stefan Batory Foundation, Warsaw
Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM), Petaling Jaya
Swiss Helsinki Association, Lenzburg
Transparency International Anti-corruption Center, Yerevan
Transparency International Austrian chapter, Vienna
Transparency International Česká republika, Prague
Transparency International Deutschland, Berlin
Transparency International EU Office, Brussels
Transparency International France, Paris
Transparency International Greece, Athens
Transparency International Greenland, Nuuk
Transparency International Hungary, Budapest
Transparency International Ireland, Dublin
Transparency International Italia, Milan
Transparency International Moldova, Chisinau
Transparency International Nederland, Amsterdam
Transparency International Norway, Oslo
Transparency International Portugal, Lisbon
Transparency International Romania, Bucharest
Transparency International Secretariat, Berlin
Transparency International Slovenia, Ljubljana
Transparency International España, Madrid
Transparency International Sverige, Stockholm
Transparency International Switzerland, Bern
Transparency International UK, London
UNITED for Intercultural Action the European network against nationalism, racism, fascism and in support of migrants, refugees and minorities, Budapest
United Nations Convention against Corruption Civil Society Coalition
Villa Decius Association, Krakow
Vietnam's Defend the Defenders, Hanoi
Vietnamese Women for Human Rights, Saigon
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Harare
[1] As documented by a number of internationally renowned human rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch and the ICJ. See, for example, the HRW World Report 2017, China and Tibet, available at: https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/china-and-tibet; China: call for action at UN on lawyers and other human rights defenders, available at: https://www.icj.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/UN-HRC34-China-JointLetter-Advocacy-2017.pdf
[2] The Functioning of the Judicial System in Azerbaijan and its Impact on the Fair Trial of Human Rights Defenders, Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights and Netherlands Helsinki Committee 2016, available at: http://www.defendersorviolators.info/judiciary-in-azerbaijan.
[3] See, for example: Human Rights and the Professional Responsibility of Judges and Prosecutors in the Work of CCJE and CCPE. Observations to the CCJE-CCPE Joint Report on “Challenges for Judicial Independence and Impartiality in the Member States of the Council of Europe”, Netherlands Helsinki Committee and Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights 2017, available at: https://www.nhc.nl/assets/uploads/2017/06/20170331-Observations-to-CCJE-CCPE-Report.pdf
[4] Standards of Professional Responsibility and Statement of the Essential Duties and Rights of Prosecutors adopted by the International Association of Prosecutors on 23 April 1999.
[5] See, for example, Options for Promoting Human Rights Compliance by the International Association of Prosecutors, policy brief, October 2016.