There is nothing to celebrate on this International Human Rights Day
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The concept of human rights is as old as civilisation itself. But it is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, that gave birth to human rights as they are known today, and the subsequent conventions to uphold them legally.
Born out of the unthinkable atrocities that took place during the Second World War, the world wanted to say never again. 1948 was also the year that an estimated 750,000 Palestinians were forced to flee their homes, lands and communities in fear of violence perpetrated by violent militias and, later, the Israeli military.
A long history of mass forced displacement, expulsion and refugeehood has overshadowed Palestinian existence since the start of the British administration of the territory, lasting from 1922-1947.
Since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, successive Israeli governments have overseen a continuous cycle of dispossession and nearly six million Palestinians are today registered as refugees in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the West Bank including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
Tragically 76 years since the adoption of our modern human rights laws the idea of “never again” is utterly shattered. Israel’s devastating military assault on the Gaza Strip — deemed recently by Amnesty International to be genocide — has precipitated a catastrophic and unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
The orchestrated destruction of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure together with the imposition of severe restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid, has rendered Gaza unliveable. Israel has starved Palestinians, massacred them in record numbers and has bombed Gaza to pieces.
Israel has starved Palestinians, massacred them in record numbers and has bombed Gaza to pieces. The magnitude of the current violence and displacement is unprecedented in the Palestinian context.
Nearly 45,000 people have been killed in 14 months, and over 100,000 brutally injured in life limiting ways. The trauma for children is so deep it’s unimaginable. Children are starving, have been left orphaned and without an education.
Every time we think it can’t get worse, it does. Two months ago, on October 6 the Israeli military started a brutal siege of northern Gaza and since then more than 130,000 people have been forced to flee, mostly to Gaza City.
The population there has surged by around 50% in recent weeks resulting in severe overcrowding and leaving an urgent need for shelter, food and other essentials. Up to 70% of those in some displacement sites are women and children, many forced to shelter in abandoned buildings or out in the open in the bitter cold and rain.
Virtually no aid has entered the north, leaving tens of thousands of people without food, water, fuel, transport and electricity. Starvation and malnutrition are rapidly increasing. The Famine Review Committee has warned that the threshold for famine may have already been crossed.
Up to 75,000 people remain in the north of Gaza, including staff and patients at ActionAid’s partner, Al-Awda Hospital, where doctors are continuing to save lives and deliver babies amid unimaginable danger and despite running desperately low on fuel and medical supplies.
Lamis, a pregnant mother, told ActionAid she and her family were trapped in a school in northern Gaza for two weeks before they were forced to flee. She said: “We were besieged in a school for 14 days under fire and airstrikes.
"We could not move, and we couldn’t even go to the bathroom. The Israeli army started calling out on the loudspeaker telling us to evacuate the place.
What is happening to Palestinians in 2024 goes way beyond egregious human rights violations. The abuses by Israel, completely supported and armed by the United States, amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and it seems irrefutably clear — genocide.
This abuse by Israel and its allies of the Palestinian people and ignoring human rights puts the whole system of international law at risk. It puts our humanity at risk. It is a profound moment of crisis for the world.
Will the world allow this genocide to become background noise? Will we allow an indigenous population to be exterminated? Will we allow the utter hypocrisy and moral failure of Biden’s America to go unchallenged?
More aid must be allowed into Gaza urgently, and its safe delivery to those who need it guaranteed. ActionAid and other NGOs are supporting Palestinian organisations with cash transfers and trying to get aid in. It is extraordinarily difficult with rising costs, insecurity and scarce supplies.
If Israel’s ban on UNWRA is enforced, the level of death will be apocalyptic. Above all, there must be a permanent ceasefire now.
Ireland has consistently shown solidarity with the Palestinian people. Whilst foreign policy did not feature strongly in the recent general election campaign, Irish people clearly want human rights to be upheld and justice for Palestine is at the heart of this.
Our solidarity, however, means nothing if we’re not willing to put condemnations into real and meaningful action. Passing the Occupied Territories Bill must be an urgent priority for the new government. While significant, it is a minimum step that must be taken in the face of genocide.
On this International Human Rights Day, let’s reclaim our shared humanity: stop the arms, sanction leaders, and demand justice. The time to act is now —our humanity depends on it.
- Karole Balfe is the chief executive of ActionAid Ireland