Al Mezan condemns Israel's new collective punishment measures against Gaza, calls the international community to protect civilians

In its meeting yesterday, 19 September 2007, the Israeli security cabinet unanimously adopted decisions declaring the Gaza Strip a 'hostile territory' and employing new collective punishment measures against it. The decision was allegedly provoked by that the Strip is ruled by Hamas since 15 June 2007 and that rockets continue to be fired at Israel from it. The measures under question are oriented mainly at the civilian population.

The new measures include limiting the supplies of food, fuel and electricity as well as expanding the monitoring and restriction of funds. It was also decided to expand the Israeli military operations in the Strip. They represent an exacerbation of already employed closures and sanctions, which have continued for years now.

Clearly, the cuts or reductions of electricity, food, and fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip are contrary to Israeli's legal obligations under international law. They cannot be ethically justified. They are also indicative of Israel's indifference towards the aggravated situation under which 1.5 million Gazans live and a reckless disregard to civilian life and wellbeing. Declaring Gaza as a hostile territory erroneously suggests that Israel is exempted from its legal obligations and criminal responsibility towards Gaza's civilians under international law. However, Israel's ability to execute these measures immediately and effectively emanates from its full control of Gaza's land crossings, air space and territorial water; which evidently support Israel's status as an occupying power in Gaza.

Three months of total closure have added to the low humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Closures caused paralysis to its economy, increased poverty and unemployment, and raised dependency on humanitarian aid to near 100%. Israel's new decisions will only threaten the life and wellbeing of the civilian population; especially as they are designed to impact the civilian population, according to statements made by Israeli officials.

Al Mezan Center for Human Rights condemns with the strongest terms the Israeli collective punishment measures against the Gaza Strip. Those measures are baseless morally and legally. Intentional targeting of civilians is absolutely prohibited under international law and cannot be justified on any grounds.

The pending cuts of essential supplies threaten civilian life; but most particularly the sick, elderly, and children. Al Mezan views this decision as a despicable form of collective punishment against the civilians, and; therefore, a crime against humanity.

The Centre deplores the declaration of Gaza as 'hostile territory', which ignores that it is an occupied territory in which Israel bears obligations vis-à-vis the civilian population as stipulated by international law.

Al Mezan also condemns the continued use, and threat of use, of excessive, disproportionate force by Israel's occupation forces as grave breaches of the Israel's obligations under international humanitarian law (IHL); particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, and the international human rights law, and especially the International Covenant on Civil and Political rights, the International Covenant on the Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, and the Convention on the Rights of Child.

Additionally, Al Mezan views with much concern the continued silence of the international community, which has not taken any effective steps to challenge the human rights violations in the OPT and provide protection for civilians. Those lie at the center of the human rights responsibilities of the international community and should be respected.

Not only international law obliges Israel to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the civilians under its occupation, but also to secure the provision of their humanitarian needs and maintain functioning public facilities; specially those providing heath, food, water and sanitation.

Al Mezan calls all the international human rights organizations and intergovernmental bodies that are entrusted with ensuring respect and protection of human rights to condemn the Israeli decision and to take immediate and effective actions to prevent executing it.

It also calls the international community to uphold its legal and moral obligations towards Gaza's civilians and to intervene and protect civilians. Al Mezan calls upon the international community to condemn the aforementioned arbitrary measures as collective punishment that amounts to crimes against humanity, thus pursuing the persons who ordered or perpetrated them and brining them to justice.