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THE WORLD’S MORAL FAILURE IN GAZA  
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Graça Machel
April 4, 2024
Project Syndicate
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_ Madiba (Mandela) always considered Palestinian liberation key to
achieving a just and free world for all. How can any of us speak
credibly of universal human rights and the international rule of law
when we permit brutality and occupation to continue _

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JOHANNESBURG – The relentless siege on Gaza is a dark reflection on
humanity. Well over 100,000
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have been declared killed, injured, or missing over the past six
months, and the overwhelming majority are innocent civilians who bear
no responsibility for Hamas’s appalling attack on October 7, 2023.

The United Nations Security Council has finally passed
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for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate release of hostages held
by Hamas. Now, all UN member states – particularly Israel’s
political and military allies – must do everything in their power to
ensure that the resolution is implemented in full as soon as possible.

For Gazans who survive Israel’s military assaults, a lethal
combination of displacement, hunger, and disease awaits. Israel’s
blockade of humanitarian supplies, food, and clean water has made life
in the enclave a nightmare. Aid agencies report
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giving birth without anesthetics, babies dying from dehydration and
malnutrition, and sickness ravaging entire communities. With no one in
Gaza safe from massacre, we have reached the threshold
of population-scale annihilation
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The trauma is now reverberating across the whole region. Gazans are
haunted by post-traumatic stress disorder and grief, and more than one
million children are in dire need of psycho-social support
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The latest devastation adds to the suffering inflicted by Israel’s
18-year-old blockade of Gaza
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And in the West Bank, Palestinians face multiple threats, from
unconstrained settler violence and forced displacement to the constant
threat of arbitrary detention. At the same time, more than 100
Israelis are still held hostage
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Hamas, in contravention of international humanitarian law, prolonging
the pain felt by their families and those of the civilians killed on
October 7.

Worse may come if Israel defies warnings from its closest allies and
moves ahead with its plans for an assault on Rafah
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currently host to 1.5 million people
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including over 600,000 children. Many of those seeking refuge in this
border city have already endured the trauma of multiple displacements
over the past half-year. A full-scale Israeli military incursion must
not be allowed to happen.

I write these words as someone who looked into the eyes of young
Palestinians while preparing the 1996 UN report _The Impact of Armed
Conflict on Children_
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Speaking to children in refugee camps, we promised that their
suffering would end. Not only have we failed to make good on that
promise; we have left an even more hostile world for children who
happen to be born Palestinian. I carry this haunting failure with me.

I also write these words as a member of The Elders, the group of
independent global leaders that I co-founded with my late husband,
Nelson Mandela, and which was chaired in its early years by
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
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UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan
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(Mandela) gave us a mandate to work for peace, justice, and human
rights worldwide, and he always considered Palestinian liberation
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be key to achieving a just and free world for all. How can any of us
speak credibly of universal human rights and the international rule of
law when we permit brutality and occupation to continue for decades?

Amid such despair and lack of moral courage by those with the power to
stop the current carnage in Gaza, I am proud of the exceptional
leadership that South Africa has shown in bringing a complaint
against Israel [[link removed]] for violating
the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice. The
ICJ’s preliminary ruling, on January 26, and the additional
measures
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on March 28, explicitly condemn the atrocities taking place in Gaza
and are unambiguous about the steps Israel must take to protect
innocent Palestinians, including unhindered provision of humanitarian
assistance at scale.

Israel and the countries providing it with military and financial
assistance must heed the court’s findings and adhere to their
obligations under international law. But we are not helpless in the
face of this monumental suffering. As members of one human family, we
have an ethical duty to speak out against these injustices in our own
circles of influence. We can wield power through our own individual
and community activism. With our votes and protests, we can – and
must – demand accountability from our political leaders.

Here is what we must demand. First, additional humanitarian land
routes urgently need to be opened to meet the overwhelming need for
life-saving aid. The safety of aid deliveries must be guaranteed at
all times. Air drops and the recently proposed maritime corridor
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insufficient, and must not be allowed to absolve Israel of its own
responsibility to civilians in Gaza.

Second, world leaders must use military and financial leverage to
compel Israel to cease its violations of international law and comply
with the ICJ’s orders. All countries providing military assistance
to Israel should immediately put these shipments under review and set
new conditions for future provision. Those that continue supplying
arms are enabling the carnage and may be complicit in war crimes.

Third, decision-makers must provide full financial and political
support to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. Many
donors have rushed to suspend funding
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the organization, pending the outcome of investigations into
Israel’s allegations that some UNRWA staff participated in the
October 7 attack. This premature, disproportionate response is now
irresponsibly endangering the rights and well-being of millions of
Palestinian refugees. The Israeli government has made no secret of its
desire to dismantle UNRWA once and for all. Will we allow it to become
yet another casualty of the war?

The situation cries out for concerted action by a broad coalition of
countries committed to a just and permanent peace that enables
Israelis and Palestinians to co-exist under conditions of mutual
respect, self-determination, dignity, and security. Palestinian and
Israeli lives and security are of equal worth. If this fundamental
truth does not prevail on political leaders and ordinary citizens, we
will continue to forsake generations of innocent children.

_Graça Machel, Deputy Chair of The Elders, is Founder of the Graça
Machel Trust [[link removed]]._

_Project Syndicate produces and delivers original, high-quality
commentaries to a global audience. Featuring exclusive contributions
by prominent political leaders, policymakers, scholars, business
leaders, and civic activists from around the world, we provide news
media and their readers with cutting-edge analysis and
insight, regardless of ability to pay. Our membership includes over
500 media outlets – more than half of which receive our commentaries
for free or at subsidized rates – in 156 countries._

* Gaza
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* Israeli Occupation
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* Human Rights
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* South Africa
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* Nelson Mandela
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