In a stirring message to UN member states, a coalition of more than 150 NGOs joined together to urge the international community to end the impunity that has allowed atrocities by Israeli forces against civilians to continue and escalate amid the growing catastrophe in Gaza, the West Bank and now Lebanon.
”Governments must do everything in their power to end this growing catastrophe and cycle of impunity,” reads the statement, released today by the coalition and signed by Cordaid. ”It is not only a moral imperative but a legal obligation. All Member States must prevent further atrocities and ensure that those responsible for any violations of international law, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, are held accountable. Failure to act now risks further eroding international norms and emboldening perpetrators. The cycle of violence against civilians needs to stop.”
The statement was released as the government of France is hosting an international conference today in Paris on Lebanon, bringing together Lebanon’s partner states, the United Nations, the European Union and global, regional and civil society organisations to address the crisis in Lebanon
”Failure to act now is a choice,” the statement reads, ”a choice that will fail to stop and prevent future atrocities.”