Middle-East, Gaza: Peace is a matter of the utmost urgency

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Middle-East, Gaza: Peace is a matter of the utmost urgency

After more than four months of a tragic, devastating war in Gaza, whose result, so far, is the death of more than 30.000 people, mainly civilians –1.200 Israelis and more than 29.000 Palestinians -, the destruction of more than 80% of the Gazan urban structures, including hospitals, schools, UN buildings, places of worship and cultural heritage sites (some of them included in the UNESCO World Heritage List) and the forced displacement of almost 2 million of Gaza’s inhabitants, the situation still remains totally deadlocked. Day by day, the humanitarian disaster unfolding before the eyes of the “international community” is deepening. A new tragic step is looming: the Israeli government is on the brink of forcing the two millions of Gazans into exile, in order to proceed to the realization of its plan: the “Greater Israel”.
Furthermore, there is a growing risk that hostilities spread in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, and a risk of direct or indirect involvement of military powers external to the region, first and foremost the USA, whose military budget amounts to roughly half the expenses worldwide.
In this war, it is the civilians who will suffer the biggest loss. In addition to the incommensurable human losses, they will experience collapsing standard of living, and will be hit head-on by the deterioration of their environmental conditions and the resulting aggravation of climate disruption.
Powerful demonstrations demanding an immediate ceasefire are taking place in numerous cities all over
the world, including Israel, where the population expresses its growing opposition to the Netanyahu
government. Yet the voices of peace face repression, including in academia where colleagues and students
are silenced or persecuted. The World Federation of Scientific Workers, WFSW, supports all of these courageous voices.
Concerning the current Gaza war, as well as the Israel-Palestine conflict in general, WFSW calls to an
immediate ceasefire, the protection of the population against the “serious genocide risk” (according to the IJC words). Peace in this region cannot be reached without justice and security, namely end of the colonialism affecting the Palestinian people and implementation, on behalf of all the involved parties, of the UN resolutions, including the resolution n°242 issued November 22, 1967.
The decision reached by the majority of the 17 judges sitting on the IJC in La Haye is compulsory. It stipulates that Israel should take “all measures in its power to prevent and punish direct and public
incitement to commit genocide”. This decision lies under the responsibility of the “international community”.
This decision, as well as the fact that it was South Africa that took the case to the IJC, is historic: even though the former colonial powers are always trying to maintain their grip, these two facts shed light on a world where a new deal is on the brink to emerge and new countries, mainly of the Global South, step on stage. The two-poles-world, inheritance of the Cold War, is changing. Therefore, we are hopeful that the UN will take advantage of the situation in order to effectively compel the establishment of an actual Palestinian state, next to the state of Israel. This is the only solution that aims to long-lasting peace and security.
It is high time to promote our view and practice of human relations and international relations based on
dialogue and cooperation aiming at common achievements. Thanks to its long-lasting tradition, the scientific community can and should pioneer such a route.

WFSW, Paris, February 19th, 2024

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Pdf document (French – English): 240219 Moyen-Orient Middle East-Gaza

Portuguese version: https://otc.pt/wp/2024/02/24/medio-oriente-gaza-a-urgencia-absoluta-da-paz/