Lebanon, Israel and Palestine: deaths and crimes accumulate in the ruins of international law

On the 7 October 2023, following an attack on its territory by commandos from the armed wing of Hamas, Israel declared war on the Gaza-based organisation. One year on, the war zone has expanded from the Gaza Strip to Lebanon. The tapestry of parties involved in this round of clashes: Israel, Hamas, Lebanese Hezbollah, Yemeni Houthis, Iran, sparks fear of widespread regional unrest, the consequence of a colonial escalation of violence.

However, this outburst of violence cannot be understood without considering it within the context of a conflict that dates back more than 70 years, marked by repeated violations of international law, the expulsion and displacement of civilian populations as part of Israeli colonisation, and an endless succession of wars and outbreaks of violence between all the parties involved. Throughout this conflict, atrocities have been committed by all sides.

At this stage, the consequences of the conflict are chilling. According to figures from UNICEF, the attack on 7 October left 5,400 people injured and 1,200 dead, including 37 children and 101 hostages have still not been released, including 2 children. As a result of the bombardments and the war in Gaza, more than 100,000 people have been injured and more than 42,000 killed, including over 14,000 children. According to the United Nations, 66% of buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or damaged. In Lebanon, again according to UNICEF, 5,000 people have been killed, including nearly 700 children, and around 1.2 million people have been displaced, including 400,000 children. The humanitarian situation is now catastrophic everywhere.

Throughout the region war crimes are mounting sharply, while the international community (especially the states with influence) has failed to repeatedly condemn the situation and to take the necessary measures to bring it to an end.

It should be noted that on 26 January 2024, the International Court of Justice recognised the existence of a ‘real and imminent risk that irreparable prejudice will be caused’ to the population of Gaza. A few months later, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry accused Israel of ‘war crimes and crimes against humanity’ committed during military operations and attacks against Gaza since 7 October 2023.

However, these accusations are not having the desired effect. The number of victims is rising in both the West Bank and Gaza, and now it is the people of Lebanon who live in constant fear for their lives, as the Emmaus group present in the country can testify.

The Association d’Entraide Professionnelle (AEP), a mutual aid association which was founded in Lebanon in 1984 and has been a member of Emmaus International since 1995, has had to temporarily halt all its microcredit operations, which offered support to several hundred families. The association’s members are confined to their homes. Beneficiaries, who were already living in fragile conditions, are seeing their precarious situation deteriorate further. One of them, Mr. Nazir Youssef Noun, has already lost his life in the Bekaa Valley.

‘We are firmly against any form of aggression that kills innocent people, destroys homes and forces families to flee’, says Camille Chedid, President of the AEP and Emmaus Asia. ‘We can no longer accept this senseless violence. It is time to put an end to this spiral of destruction and pain.  We call for peace, the protection of human life and respect for the dignity of each individual. Let our voices come together to build a future where no one has to suffer the fear and anguish of losing everything they hold dear’.

Yet the fighting is spreading. War crimes, particularly those committed by Israel, are on the rise, and humanitarian aid is being obstructed daily.

The lack of a mass uprising and drastic measures should prompt us to question the failure of international bodies to uphold universal basic rights. If the leaders of Western countries fail to take responsibility for developing a strategy to end the war, it is up to civil society to speak out and demand bold action!

History has shown us that inaction in the face of war is always shameful. As a Movement that works to ensure access to fundamental rights and the right of peoples to self-determination, Emmaus International calls for strong diplomatic decisions, to provide the men and women who are deprived of these rights with a viable present and a peaceful future.