A statement originally published by Friends of the Earth International.
Friends of the Earth International reiterates its condemnation of the crimes perpetrated by Israel in Gaza and the West Bank. Over the past year, Gaza has witnessed relentless and indiscriminate brutalities, massacres and destruction. Along with the devastating impact on human life, agriculture, water, and biodiversity have been destroyed and polluted – in some cases beyond recovery for generations to come. By October 2024, 68% of Gaza’s permanent crop fields showed a major decline in health and density which will impact nutrition and food security and sovereignty long after the end of the conflict.
Achieving the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people
The war crimes the world witnesses have deep roots and are part of a continuum that started in 1967 with the occupation and theft of land for settlement activity, with Palestinian land being systematically taken over, expelling people from their homes. Almost every basic aspect of life has since been tightly controlled by the Israeli occupation, making it difficult for Palestinians to live with dignity and enjoy their basic rights. While people are now openly calling the series of war crimes for what it is – a genocide – the Israeli policy towards Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank has been following a path of terror for a very long time. Israeli historian Ilan Pappé has termed Israel’s treatment of Palestinians as an ‘incremental genocide’, going as far back as 2014.
Today, more than one year after Israel escalated its campaign against the Palestinians, the people living in Gaza and in the West Bank have endured unspeakable cruelty.
Yet, attacks against Gaza’s hospitals and humanitarians continued, and Israeli forces are no longer bothered to deflect blame, instead openly taking ownership of the attacks. Another marker was the flour massacre, where many starving people were killed while trying to seek food from aid trucks, and recently the deadly Israeli strike on a hospital tent camp. There have been many others – the rape and torture of prisoners, the deliberate slaughter of animals, and the killing of disabled people and premature babies – each equally gruesome.
The international community and strong advocates such as the UN Secretary Antonio Guterres have condemned Israel for the “violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza” and for the “profound human suffering inflicted on Palestinians”, and yet, nothing has changed.
Every existing red line has been crossed and no repercussions or actions have been taken to prevent further escalation. Several weeks ago, Israel began its incursion into the West Bank and Lebanon where we are now witnessing a repeat of what has been happening in Gaza.
Israeli crime should be recognised for the ecocide it is
There is a clear violation of the right to a healthy and secure environment resulting from Israeli operations. Those operations have blocked access to water, health and sanitation while creating contamination from weapons and waste, soil and forest destruction and food scarcity, all under the negligence of international law. The U.N. estimates that nearly 70% of Gaza’s water and sanitation plants have been destroyed or damaged by Israel’s heavy bombardment. This includes all five of the territory’s wastewater treatment facilities, as well as water desalination plants, sewage pumping stations, wells and reservoirs. The water and sanitation crises have contributed to rising respiratory diseases, diarrhoea, and chickenpox, with concerns about the risk of cholera and other epidemics.
The weapons and vehicles of war used for air bombardment and ground attacks have led to a significant rise in carbon emissions. Chemicals from weapons such as white phosphorus have also contaminated the air, and likely impacted agricultural land and soil, further contributing to food insecurity. Water sources are not only limited but also contaminated, making safe water consumption a challenge for many Palestinians. The accumulation of solid waste in the improvised landfills near camps for internally displaced people, in the Central Governorates and Khan Yunis, has caused serious contamination with total and fecal coliform bacteria, confirming the arrival of untreated sewage and highly toxic leachate into the groundwater reservoir.
This level of pollution of the water, land, and soil has led to the emergence of polio and other dangerous health issues such as malnutrition and famine – issues that could have been prevented. If this ecocide is allowed to continue, it will eventually destroy every aspect of life in Gaza.
Palestine is a struggle for human rights and climate justice
The struggle against the Israeli occupation, based on the illegal exploitation of Palestinian lands and natural resources, is a liberation struggle.
Addressing environmental issues cannot be separated from acknowledging peoples’ right to national sovereignty in their own land. The Palestinian liberation struggle is interconnected with global movements advocating for Indigenous rights, land rights, the fight against the fossil fuel industry and climate colonialism.
Call to action
In solidarity with all those affected, Friends of the Earth International is calling for international mobilisation to demand all governments, especially Israel’s powerful allies:
- To demand an immediate ceasefire and use all diplomatic and economic mechanisms at their disposal to deter Israel’s attacks on Gaza, beginning with ceasing arms sales to Israel to prevent further deaths and damage to the land, considering halting economic relationships with Israel and Israeli companies and cutting diplomatic ties.
- To demand the Israeli government cease the use of chemicals, bombs, and any weapon that will continue to harm the lives of Palestinians, their land, biodiversity and the overall environment for years to come. Urgent measures need to be taken to protect the territory before further irreparable damage is done.
- To demand Israel to respect the International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision, which unequivocally affirmed that the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip is illegal and must end immediately
Cover image: Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland
