In the middle of the re-emergence of Israeli military violence in Gaza, a coalition of civil society organisations for the Liberation of Palestine condemns all forms of violence and their impact on the victims. We also call for Indonesia, as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council as of October 10, 2023, which has expressed its determination to continue advocating for Palestinian sovereignty during the UN General Assembly session on September 24, 2023, and other international actors, to intervene in brokering a ceasefire between the two parties involved.

The conflict between these two entities dates back to the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which led to the territorial division resulting in Palestine currently holding only 22% of the territory, including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Stemming from Israel’s occupation, the struggle for territorial control has persisted for hundreds of years, causing widespread violence and impacts on victims not involved in the war. The escalation of the conflict increased following Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, during an Israeli concert being held at the Gaza-Israel border. This attack resulted in the deaths of over 1,000 people and the abduction of 200 individuals. Israel responded with a declaration of war, claiming it as an act of self-defence in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter.

However, this attack, in reality, does not comply with the limitations of self-defence as stipulated in International Humanitarian Law. The casualty count reached 5,500 individuals in Gaza as of October 20, 2023, with approximately a third of them being children, and the remainder consisting of civilians who were not involved in the conflict. Moreover, Israel’s retaliatory attack on Palestine, using white phosphorus, during its military operations in Gaza, places civilians at risk of serious and long-term injuries. This is in direct violation of international humanitarian law, particularly considering that such weaponry is often used in residential areas.

Some of the butterfly effects of the conflict escalation are as follows:

1. Amnesty International’s gathered testimonies from eyewitnesses and survivors highlight how Israeli attacks have devastated families in Gaza, including one family that lost fifteen of their members, including seven children ranging from 17 years old to an 18-month-old baby, due to the Israeli attack on Saturday night, October 7, 2023, in the city of Gaza. The attack resulted in such destruction that the surviving relatives now have little memories to remember their loved ones who were killed.

2. The relentless bombing in Gaza has brought unimaginable suffering to people who are already facing a dire humanitarian crisis. Furthermore, the illegal Israeli blockade that has been in place for 16 years has severely impacted the economy in Gaza, and the healthcare system is in ruins. Hospitals are paralyzed, unable to cope with the high number of injuries, and are suffering from a severe shortage of life-saving medications and equipment.

3. Israeli attacks have caused more and more civilians in Gaza to lose their homes. Residential buildings in Gaza City and its surroundings, including in the Nuseirat and Jabalia refugee camps, have been destroyed by Israeli military missiles. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the number of internally displaced persons in Gaza had reached 1 million people by October 19, including over 527,500 individuals residing in emergency shelters provided by UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) in central and southern Gaza.

4. The right to a safe, clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is not being fulfilled for the Palestinian population. Some examples of this phenomenon include the lack of proper waste management due to the ongoing escalation of conflict, leading to the accumulation of garbage and waste scattered in open spaces, with serious health consequences for vulnerable groups such as children, women, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, the elderly, individuals with disabilities, and people with specific health conditions. Water is also an aspect fully controlled by Israel, where 97% of the water pumped from the Gaza coast does not meet WHO health standards. This results in water pollution in Gaza and limited water availability, only 21.3 litres per day, compared to the WHO’s minimum standard of 100 litres.

Unfortunately, various prominent international figures have openly made statements that have the potential to further escalate the conflict in the long term. One of these is the statement made by U.S. President Joe Biden on October 10, 2023. “The people of Israel lived through one such moment this weekend.  The bloody hands of the terrorist organization Hamas — a group whose stated purpose for being is to kill Jews. This was an act of sheer evil.” Other than Biden, Model European Parliament (MEP) is concerned with Israeli citizens and condemn the actions of Hamas categorised as acts of terrorism . Furthermore, MEP also sent letters to various social media platforms such as Meta, X, and Tiktok, requesting the removal of content related to the ongoing conflict. MEP considers that these contents contain elements of terrorism, violence, hate speech, and misinformation that do not comply with the Digital Services Act (DSA) of the European Union.

The absence of concrete international actions such as the implementation of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) by superpower states towards the affected victims, binding actions and sanctions from international organisations like the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) to enforce arms embargo between the conflicting parties perpetuates the ongoing violence in the conflict between Palestine and Israel.

Therefore, the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations for the Liberation of Palestine recommends:

Government of Indonesia

1) Engage in a more active role as a member of the UN Human Rights Council in consistently advocating for Palestinian sovereignty in international forums and steadfastly uphold the perspective of the victims.

2) Collaborate with other UN Human Rights Council members in intensive communication with the UN Security Council to de-escalate the conflict and achieve a ceasefire.

3) Utilize its position in the UN Human Rights Council to condemn all repressive actions, such as Israel’s invasion in the Gaza Strip, including the excessive deployment of military forces during ongoing violence.

4) Utilize its position in the UN Human Rights Council to encourage the UN Security Council to exercise its veto power against the United States, which is suspected of perpetuating the blockade of access to aid for people in the Gaza Strip.

5) Utilize its position in the UN Human Rights Council to push for the lifting of the illegal 16-year blockade in the Gaza Strip by Israel.

6) Follow up on the impacts of attacks on victims with opposing UN agencies such as WHO, UNICEF, UNWOMEN, and other international organizations in providing direct assistance.

International Entities

1) Ensure that the ongoing investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) into the situation in Palestine receives full support and all necessary resources.

2) Stop shadow banning content related to the conflict, which is part of freedom of expression and the right to access information by relevant parties, such as Meta and others.

3) Urge powerful nations to enforce the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) for victims who are affected and potentially affected in the future.

4) Urge relevant parties in the escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict to adhere to international humanitarian law, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the 1977 protocols, where civilians should not be targeted and victimized by the parties involved.

5) Call upon Hamas and other armed resistance groups to immediately cease deliberate attacks on civilians, indiscriminate rocket fire, and hostage-taking. They must unconditionally and promptly release civilian hostages.

Jakarta, October 28, 2023

Coalition of Civil Society Organizations for the Liberation of Palestine
Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID)
Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS)
Humanist Foundation Southeast Asia (affiliated with Hivos)
Center for Law and Policy Studies (PSHK)
RRR Collective
Manushya Foundation
Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI)
PurpleCode Collective
Codayati
Milk Tea Alliance Indonesia
SAFEnet – Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network
Perkumpulan Lintas Feminis Jakarta
Amnesty International Indonesia
Resistor Indonesia
PILNET Indonesia
Gerpuan UNJ
Pusat Kajian Perempuan Solo (PUKAPS)
Sebaya Berdaya
Komunitas Perempuan Berkisah
Yayasan Perempuan Indonesia Tumbuh Berdaya (Pribudaya)
Greenpeace Indonesia