Like many other members of the international community, we are writing today to stand in solidarity with all civilians under attack in the unfolding Israel-Gaza conflict. The escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas has in recent weeks resulted in widespread civilian deaths and injuries through indiscriminate attacks.  We stand with organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International in condemning either indiscriminate or willful targeting of civilian areas by both the Israeli military and the military wing of Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups.

We join other members of the international community in supporting a United Nations Human Rights Council commission of inquiry into any and all potential violations of international humanitarian and human rights law by all parties to this conflict. In doing so, we support UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay’s assertion that “[it] is imperative that Israel, Hamas and all Palestinian armed groups strictly abide by applicable norms of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. This entails applying the principles of distinction between civilians and combatants and between civilian objects and military objectives; proportionality; and precautions in attack . . . Not abiding by these principles may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

We at STAND want to emphasize our commitment to civilian protection in the face of armed conflict and solidarity with the civilian victims of these violent attacks. We encourage the STAND community to engage in the larger discussion of this complex and developing conflict. How does the Israel-Gaza conflict relate to the future of mass atrocity prevention and our movement as a whole? During August, STAND will be hosting an open blog series on the conflict. Please consider offering your informed opinion for submission by sending a short proposal to sreichman@standnow.org.