Call to Bring an Immediate End to Israel’s Genocide against the Palestinians, to Ensure Justice, and to Guarantee the Future Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity of the Palestinian People
See signatures below.
A global network of civil society organizations is calling for the immediate formation and implementation of a UN “Armed Protection Force” authorized to enter Palestinian territories at the invitation of the Palestinians. This Armed Protection Force is to be authorized to protect the Palestinians, to ensure the safe delivery of all needed humanitarian aid, and to ensure the preservation of evidence of crimes. Once authorized, willing countries from around the world can contribute troops to assist in this effort. Indonesia is ready to send 20,000 troops to Gaza to defend peace, according to President Prabowo Subianto at last week’s meetings of the UN General Assembly.
The sponsor of the Declaration, Initiative for Equality (IfE), is a global network of organizations and individuals in over 100 countries on 6 continents, including people of many faiths and cultural backgrounds working to end social, economic and political inequalities. Their Declaration calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza was prepared after a survey of IfE’s global membership, followed by the appointment of a Writing Committee and subsequent discussions and negotiations over the course of three months.
IfE’s detailed Declaration on the genocide contains 12 Declarations of Fact followed by 17 Calls for Immediate Action. Dr. Deborah S. Rogers, President of IfE, flagged the following Calls for Action as among the most urgent:
- the immediate cessation of all genocidal actions by Israel and their military partners, and of all support for genocidal actions by other countries, led by an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza and the West Bank, and the release of all hostages and prisoners – both Israeli and Palestinian.
- the immediate establishment of a full-scale Humanitarian Corridor into Gaza to provide the basic sustenance for human life, protected against any attack, and capable of implementing the immediate provision of all needed food, water, shelter and medical care to the Palestinians.
- the immediate formation and implementation of a UN Armed Protection Force authorized to enter Palestinian territories at the invitation of the Palestinians, to protect the Palestinians, to ensure the safe delivery of all needed humanitarian aid, and to ensure the preservation of evidence of crimes.
- the immediate imposition of prohibitions, embargoes and sanctions against trade with Israel, and against the transfer of weapons and munitions into Israel, to effectuate the cutoff of all sources of weapons, funding, supplies and services for the occupation and genocide against the Palestinian people.
“The 20-point proposal released by US President Trump on 29 September fails to meet the demands and standards we set in our Declaration against the genocide,” Rogers cautioned. “We believe it would keep the Palestinians locked in a de facto occupation, without the self-governance or justice that could allow them to develop as a nation.”
Other urgent Calls for Immediate Action include:
- full compliance with International Law by all member states of the UN, including arresting Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, for whom arrest warrants have been issued by the International Criminal Court;
- formation of an International Tribunal to investigate and prosecute Israel’s actions, from the commission of genocide to their documented advance knowledge of the October 7 Hamas attacks;
- the restoration of peace, security, justice, self-determination, and sovereignty for the Palestinian people, within a legal structure chosen by the Palestinians themselves;
- the pacification of Israel, as was done for Japan and Germany after World War II; also to include the removal of its nuclear weapons;
- the implementation of plans for restoring, rebuilding and compensating the Palestinians for the destruction wrought; and
- the implementation of a ‘Truth and Reconciliation’ process, as was set up in post-Apartheid South Africa, to build the foundations for justice, coexistence, and long-term peace for the Palestinians and Israelis.
“It is with the utmost compassion for and solidarity with the Palestinians that our global civil society network demands these actions,” said Rogers.
“The whole world is suffering alongside the Palestinians as we watch this live-streamed genocide and struggle to get it stopped. We urgently demand immediate and effective action, at all levels, to bring about peace, justice and sovereignty for the Palestinians,” she said.
Text of Petition
We, the undersigned, hereby declare:
- That Israel is committing a genocide against the Palestinians.
- That the language and images used by Israeli officials, members of the IDF, and many ordinary Israeli citizens fits the well-known pattern of normalizing genocide through the dehumanization of the victims.
- That the genocide committed by Israel is an absolute betrayal of the Holocaust victims.
- That this genocide constitutes a moral injury to everyone involved, and to everyone around the world who pays attention to the news, images and commentary that comes out of the region.
- That Israel and the United States are the primary perpetrators of this genocide: neither could do it alone; together they ensure it continues.
- That Israel is implementing illegal land grabs in the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria, in addition to Gaza, under the guise of “protecting Israel’s security”.
- That the motivation of Israel’s actions appears to include a toxic mix of several factors, including Zionism, racism, the excuse of having been victims in the past, and the desire to have total hegemony in the Middle East.
- That Israel’s claim that the genocide is done in self-defense is an inexcusable pretext; a narrative created to justify their monstrous actions.
- That the lack of enforcement and implementation of International Law as it relates to Israel’s actions in Gaza and elsewhere is destroying confidence and faith in the system of International Law that was set up in the 1940’s.
- That Israel has attacked the United Nations, both figuratively and literally, on at least 8 occasions since 07 October 2023.
- That Israel has made the negotiation of a ceasefire virtually impossible by its violent attacks on the mediator and on members of the mediation team, and by its refusal to consider any of the proposals made by Hamas or in other international calls for a comprehensive solution.
- That Israel and the United States are both behaving like Rogue States, due to their complete disregard for human rights, humanitarian law, UN foundational documents and International Law.
In response to the above actions and circumstances, and with overwhelming compassion for and solidarity with the Palestinians, we hereby call for the following:
- An immediate and comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza and the West Bank, and the release of all hostages and prisoners.
- Immediate cessation of all genocidal actions and of all support for genocidal actions by other countries.
- The immediate establishment of a full-scale Humanitarian Corridor into Gaza to provide the basic sustenance for human life.
- The immediate provision of all needed food, water, shelter and medical care to the Palestinians.
- The immediate formation and implementation of a UN armed protection force authorized to enter Palestinian territories, at the invitation of the Palestinians, to protect the Palestinians, to ensure the safe delivery of all needed humanitarian aid, and to ensure the preservation of evidence of crimes.
- The immediate imposition of prohibitions, embargoes and sanctions against trade with Israel, and against the transfer of weapons and munitions into Israel.
- The cut off of all sources of funding, supplies and services for the occupation and genocide against the Palestinian people
- Full Investigations and Compliance with International Law by all member states of the UN General Assembly.
- Formation of an International Tribunal into Israel’s actions under Universal Jurisdiction Mandate.
- Designation of participants in the genocide, including the IDF, as Terrorist Organizations.
- Admission of Palestine to Membership in the UN, and suspension of membership and participation in the UN by all nations which violate, repeatedly and egregiously, the Charter of the United Nations, the Declaration of Human Rights, the Geneva Conventions, and any other foundational document of the UN and of International Law.
- The restoration of peace, security, justice, self-determination, and sovereignty for the Palestinian people.
- The pacification of Israel, including the removal of its weapons of mass destruction.
- The development and implementation of plans for restoring, rebuilding and compensating the Palestinians for the destruction wrought by Israel and the United States.
- The development and implementation of a ‘Truth and Reconciliation’ process to build the foundations for justice, coexistence, and long-term peace for Palestine and Israel.
- The development of a standing UN-authorized Armed Protection Force and related policies for the effective prevention of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocides.
- The restructuring of the United Nations to be more democratic, more effective, and to better reflect its membership.
See full Declaration here, with explanations and citations.
Signatures
| ORGANIZATION | COUNTRY |
| Initiative for Equality (IfE) | Global |