PBI calls for respect for international law, protection of human rights defenders and an immediate cease-fire
Peace Brigades International (PBI), an organization that seeks to create space for peace and participate in the protection of human rights,
shares the words of the UN Secretary General that "only a negotiated peace that satisfies the legitimate national aspirations of Palestinians and Israelis
alike ... can bring long-term stability to the people of this land and the broader Middle East region.“
➢ PBI stands in solidarity with all victims; when human rights are violated in one part of
the world, they are violated everywhere. War is not the solution, armed confrontation will only
increase the death and destruction and will take away the possibility of finding a negotiated
and stable solution.
➢ PBI urges Israel to implement the provisional order of the International Court of Justice
(ICJ) of January 26, 2024, to take measures to prevent genocide in Gaza. PBI also reiterates
its call for an immediate ceasefire.
In our 40 years of existence, the many human rights organizations and communities that we
have accompanied in different countries have taught us to give importance to historical
memory, so it is important to recognize the roots of the current situation: the Arab-Israeli war
of 1948-1949 following the adoption of the United Nations Plan for the Partition of Palestine of
1947 and the consequent displacement of more than 700,000 inhabitants of Palestine. Since
then, the violent conflict has not ceased. The Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 left around
1,200 people killed and at least 240 kidnapped, and the State of Israel responded. Four
months later, Israel's military operation, according to sources considered by the ICJ, led to
25,700 Palestinians killed, more than 63,000 people injured, more than 360,000 homes
destroyed or damaged and some 1.7 million people forcibly displaced inside Gaza.
Numerous UN statements have repeatedly warned of the grave risk of genocide of the
Palestinian people by the conduct of the Israeli government and public forces in Gaza, and
have also reminded all governments of their duty to prevent it. In January 2024, eight UN
rapporteurs insisted: "Israel is not only killing and causing irreparable harm to Palestinian
civilians with its indiscriminate shelling, but is also knowingly and intentionally imposing a high
rate of disease, prolonged malnutrition, dehydration and starvation by destroying civilian
infrastructure."; Despite this, the situation continues to deteriorate and every day we lament
new civilian casualties, attacks on health centers, educational centers, humanitarian
equipment, as well as new forced displacements. On December 29, 2023, the Republic of
South Africa submitted an application to the ICJ against Israel for alleged non-compliance in
the Gaza Strip with its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of
the Crime of Genocide.
In light of the foregoing, the Court considers in its decision on provisional measures, and
before rendering its final judgment, that there is a real and imminent risk of irreparable harm to
the rights contemplated by the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide. It therefore calls upon the State of Israel to take all measures within its power to
prevent the commission, against the Palestinians in Gaza, of any act falling within the scope
of Article II of the Convention, in particular it must ensure, with immediate effect, that its army
does not commit any of the acts prohibited by the Convention. The Court also insists that the
State of Israel must take all measures within its power to prevent and punish direct and public
incitement to commit genocide against members of the Palestinian group in the Gaza Strip.
PBI asks for:
● An immediate ceasefire and that the international community concentrate all its efforts
to open a phase of dialogue that seeks a sustainable and lasting peace.
● The international community to demand respect for International Humanitarian Law by
all armed actors involved in the conflict. In particular the cessation of indiscriminate bombing
of the Gaza Strip, the cessation of bombing of medical, educational and humanitarian
institutions, as well as free access to food and drinking water and allow access to
humanitarian aid to civilian populations.
● To the international community in its mediating role to insist on the release of all
persons kidnapped by the Hamas group and Palestinian persons arbitrarily detained
by Israel.
● To the international community to show its strong support for such important
institutions for global justice as the International Court of Justice.
● The international community to maintain its support for UN agencies and
humanitarian organizations working in the Gaza Strip.
● We call on the international community to suspend the supply of arms to Israel and
the armed groups involved in the conflict.
Peace Brigades International seeks to be faithful to its principle of non-partisanship
which “does not mean neutrality or passivity in the face of injustice or the violation of
human rights, and the violation of the right to freedom of expression, on the contrary:
PBI is fully committed to these values and fights against violence - physical or
structural - as a means to establish lasting peace.”
International Office Village Partenaire
15 Rue Fernand Bernier 1060 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 25434443
