7 October 2014
To the U.N. Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide,
I’m calling on the United Nations to investigate the possibility that Israel is committing the Crime of Genocide against the Palestinian people. Since 1967 Israel has occupied territories mandated by the UN as Palestinian, it has deprived Palestinians of access to basic needs such as medicine, food, shelter, and the means to earn a living, has incarcerated without charge hundreds of Palestinians including children, and has repeatedly conducted military attacks against Palestinian civilians, most notably in Gaza in 2008-2009, 2012 and early this summer. My understanding is that by international law, Israel as an occupying power has the obligation to protect the people in the territories it occupies, but Israel has, in fact, done the opposite. Palestinians, particularly those in Gaza, have literally nowhere to escape the measures Israel has inflicted on them and there seems to be no action Palestinians can take to effect a change in Israel’s actions and policies towards them except to disappear altogether. Certainly this situation demands investigation by international authorities with findings made available to the global public and with sanctions and other actions deemed appropriate implemented as quickly as possible before conditions worsen.
Thank you,
Colin MacWhirter
Montreal, Canada
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