This Nakba day we renew our commitment and solidarity with palestinian people and call upon States to uphold their obligations to end complicity with Israel’s violation of Palestinians’ rights
Today, 15 May, marks Nakba Day, a day to remember the longstanding and persistent persecution, displacement and dispossession of the Palestinian people. With the continuity and intensification of the genocide being carried out by Israel in the Gaza Strip, experts point to a second Nakba, both regarding the methods used by Israel, including deliberate starvation and blockage of aid, and continued land grabbing. Such escalation of this tragedy is a testimony to the international community’s failure to uphold the rights of the Indigenous Palestinian People and hold Israel accountable for its crimes.
As an international coalition of civil society organizations, we emphasize the transformative power of mobilization and solidarity, particularly when governments have failed to uphold their obligations. In a context of increased conflict, war and violence, from Sudan, Yemen, DRC, Ukraine and Kashmir, the international community of States has mostly stood as active participants or silent witnesses, without taking effective measures to bring about an end to the current situation.
A call on States
We unite here to call on our respective States to carry out concrete actions toward a cease-fire in Gaza, end of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and ensure reparation to the Palestinian People.
We demand that our representatives:
- Cease any direct or indirect import / export, or facilitate trade in weapons and matériel to Israel;
- Meet their legal obligation to end the illegal situation by imposing sanctions to Israel in response to the violations of international law, including peremptory norms;
- Demand a cease-fire in Palestine and the application of human rights obligations
- Respect and ensure respect for international humanitarian law, including the distribution of food, water and hygiene products through humanitarian channels, led by UNRWA;
- Respect, protect and fulfill the Palestinian People’s inalienable right to self-determination, including by recognizing and supporting the State of Palestine.
A call on global civil society
Moreover, we call on individuals also to loudly denounce and oppose Israel’s crimes and mobilize for Palestinian freedom also by joining the global boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign. This call is issued by the joint deliberation of our Members reunited in person in November 2024 and builds upon previous manifestos and mobilizations by other civil society networks such as the one issued by ESCR-net and many others.
We invite our members to support our collective call on the international community by signing our joint statement and sending it to your representatives (you can download it here). Please add your support through this form.
The human right to housing and land
Finally, as a coalition focused on the promotion and protection of human rights related to habitat, in particular housing and land rights, we take this opportunity to call attention to the manner in which Israel has been systematically violating such rights of the Indigenous Palestinian People.
These habitat rights amount to the very heart of the Zionist colonial project, including invasion, acquisition of territory through force and deception, violent depopulation and dispossession that Israeli settlers and Zionist institutions have carried-out over decades, arriving at the current situation in which Israel forces target the destruction of the Indigenous People’s homes, shelters and shelter seekers to advance the ongoing genocide. As dennounced by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, “domicide” should be recognized as both a war crime and a crime against humanity, as in this clear case.
Join Our Collective Call to Action!
We invite everyone to stand with us and urge the international community to act.
- Read and download our joint statement [here]
- Add your voice by signing the statement through this form
- Then, send it to your representatives to help amplify our message!
Together, we can make our call stronger.
