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There are numerous reports that ongoing ceasefire negotiations between Israel and the extremist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip have made unprecedented progress.
The reports talk about Hamas, which is called a “terrorist” organization by the United States and Europe, softening during this round of negotiations.
However, the Israeli army announced the start of the third phase of its operation in the Gaza Strip. After this operation, Hamas warned that this operation and Israel’s renewed intensification of attacks on the Gaza Strip could lead to a deadlock in the negotiations.
“The situation in Gaza is very difficult now, nine months since the start of the Syrian war,” said Sari Bashi, West Bank director of Human Rights Watch, speaking about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip in an interview with Radio Farda. “The Israeli army has recently started an intensive air operation, and at this stage we are witnessing a large-scale attack on Gaza.”
Multiple displacements and famines
Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip was announced after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli towns around Gaza; the attack killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took more than 250 hostages.
Israel’s military operation in Gaza, with the stated goal of destroying the extremist group Hamas, has so far killed more than 38,000 people, most of them civilians.
Furthermore, much of the population of the Gaza Strip has been displaced; people who have had to move multiple times.
Sari Bashi, West Bank director for Human Rights Watch, told Radiofarda: “Most residents have been forced to leave their homes. This is a continuous displacement. Now, those who fled one part of Gaza are again asked to go to other parts. Most residents have been displaced multiple times. “There is no safe place in Gaza.”
Mrs. Bashi also reported on the killing of civilians when carrying out Israeli army instructions to evacuate areas, and “almost famine-like” conditions in many areas of Gaza: “Even in areas that are called ‘safe’, people” were killed when the Israeli army instructed them to evacuate supposedly safe areas. Famine-like conditions prevailed in much of Gaza. Deaths were recorded, especially among children, from severe dehydration or thirst.
Unprecedented violence in West Bank
The situation for residents in the West Bank became difficult after Hamas launched an attack on the 15th.
The West Bank director of Human Rights Watch told Radio Farda that the level of violence in the region is “unprecedented”: “Since October 15, violence in the West Bank has increased exponentially to dangerous levels. In the last year, more people have died than ever before. “The United Nations has files on the killing of hundreds of people by Israeli forces in the West Bank.”
Some of this violence can be traced back to settlers. The United States of America and some European countries have sanctioned some settlers who have committed violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.
Mrs. Bashi described settler violence this way: “Some Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers. These Israeli civilians are illegally settled in the West Bank and are committing violence to displace Palestinians. They go to farmlands and prevent Palestinians from accessing their fields or pastures to graze their cattle and sheep. Sometimes they set fire to Palestinian tents and break the windows of their houses before killing them in more violent ways.”
He added: “Israel is a state that supports violence. Israeli soldiers sent to protect Palestinians in the West Bank sometimes do nothing and allow violence to occur. Sometimes they participate in it. “We have witnessed numerous raids by the Israeli army on Palestinian towns and villages and air strikes on Palestinian areas.”
Economic difficulties have led to the closure of many centres in the West Bank
An economic crisis in a war-torn region is a problem that can be considered “natural”.
But what is happening to the West Bank’s economy since the Gaza war is also unprecedented. The region’s economy is closely tied to its interaction with Israel; that interaction now faces serious challenges.
“Palestinian workers have been facing a very difficult economic situation since the start of the war, compounded by violence. They are not allowed to travel to their workplaces in Israel, which is the main source of income for people in the West Bank,” Sari Bashi, West Bank director at Human Rights Watch, told Radiofarda.
In addition to the Israeli government putting pressure on the Palestinian Authority by blocking tax revenues, the same is true for the situation of Palestinian workers.
Mrs. Bash describes the situation as follows: “The Israeli government has blocked a large part of Palestinian tax revenues, which the Palestinian Authority uses to finance public services such as the health system and schools. Obviously, with the start of the war, tourism has also stopped. So people are suffering economically. Schools are also not functioning properly. “Last year, a large part of the education system was closed because teachers were not paid their full salaries and it became very difficult for them to travel.”
Israel and the Palestinian Authority suppress civil liberties
Sari Bashi, the West Bank director for Human Rights Watch, accused Israel and the Palestinian Authority of restricting civil liberties and cracking down on journalists as well as political and social activists.
In an interview with Radio Farda, he said: “Israel and the Palestinian authorities equally restrict civil society and peaceful political and social activists. Arrests and inspections have increased since October 15 last year. This only applies to posting on Facebook or commenting in other ways. The Palestinian establishment suppresses dissent that could challenge its political dominance; in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Targeting Gaza journalists
Sari Bashi told Radiofarda that in addition to preventing journalists from entering the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army has also shot at journalists in the area: “The Israeli army does not allow journalists to go to Gaza. They play an important role in documenting violations and irregularities, and therefore journalists have not been allowed to enter the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war. Journalists who were present at the time were shot by Israeli soldiers. This was despite the fact that they were wearing special journalist clothing. I am happy to tell you that some civil society groups are still active and journalists are still doing their work. “The authorities should stop restricting them. “
Impunity for human rights abuses is the reason for the escalation of the crisis
The director of Human Rights Watch’s West Bank office believes that the root cause of the current serious crisis in Israeli-Palestinian relations is that human rights violators on both sides have enjoyed impunity for decades.
Mrs. Bashi said, “What has happened between Israel and Palestine since the 15th is the result of years and decades of horrific attacks that have gone unpunished. The international community believes that the focus should first be on the peace process and a political solution. This is good, but we still see violations and violations being ignored.”
He described Israel’s “human rights violations” against Palestinians as follows: “For example, Israel commits crimes against humanity against Palestinians, such as racial discrimination and persecution against Palestinians and forced displacement. It also does not allow displaced Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to return to their homes in Israel. “For many years, severe restrictions on civil and political rights and the prevention of family reunification have remained a form of punishment.”
Mrs. Bashi also accused Palestinian armed groups of seeking punishment regardless of human rights violations: “For decades before the 15th, Palestinian armed groups committed war crimes against Israel. They deliberately killed Israeli civilians and fired rockets at their residential areas. “What happened on May 15 was a disaster and there was no sense in it.”
What is the solution?
Sari Bash, West Bank project director for Human Rights Watch, believes the solution to the crisis is to enforce international criminal law, not to export weapons to the parties to the conflict.
“What the international community can do is abide by international law,” he said. That means supporting international justice mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court, where prosecutors have requested arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials and Palestinian leaders. Countries around the world should also stop supplying weapons to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as to the Israeli military.”
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