Thirty Arab human rights organization called on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to intervene to end the growing deterioration of the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in the Gaza Strip. They accused the United Nations of conspiracy against Gaza, criticizing the "immoral and biased" international community's stance on the Israeli massacre against the Palestinian civilians who have nothing to do with the fight. The civilians have been the main victims of Israeli air raids on cities and towns of the Gaza Strip since last Saturday afternoon.
In a memo to the UN Secretary General, representatives of non-governmental human rights organizations and groups said the Gaza Strip is still under occupation although three years have elapsed since the Israeli unilateral withdrawal, as Israeli is still controlling Gaza's borders, coasts and airspace. Therefore, Israel is still fully responsible for security and safety of the civilians in Gaza in accordance with provisions of the international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions of 1949, especially the Fourth Geneva Convention on the respect for the integrity and freedoms of civilians in wartime and under occupation, they added.
The memo, of which Al-Masry Al-Youm got a copy, stressed that the brutal Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people can not continue without the support and delinquency of international parties. It mainly mentioned in this regard the International Quartet, which it says gained the international community's trust to bear responsibility for the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, it betrayed this trust to achieve personal interests. In addition, it provided a cover for the Israeli war crimes starting with collective punishment, which is banned under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
The organizations criticized the international community, saying it does not differentiate between the culprit and the victim in an unacceptable manner, both from a legal and an ethical point of view.
The memo warned of the continued deterioration of the current situation in Gaza, which is pushing the region toward more tension and instability. In addition, this situation leads to further deterioration of the human rights situation in all Arab countries and across the Middle East and also represents a growing threat to international peace and security, the memo affirms.
