In ancient Greece, the Ekecheiria — a sacred truce — was meant to suspend warfare during the Olympic Games, honoring the spirit of peace, competition, and shared humanity. In the twenty-first century, however, neither Russia nor Israel has shown any willingness to halt their campaigns of destruction, even during international events meant to celebrate youth and excellence, such as the Olympic Games in Paris (2024).
“This is a shameless and transparent attack on the fundamental principles of international justice.” Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard
We, the undersigned human rights and legal organizations, are extremely concerned with the recent replacement of impartial United Nations (“UN”) agencies and well-established humanitarian organizations with the newly-created Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (“GHF”), which is working in collaboration with the Israel government and U.S. private military and security companies (“PMSC”) in the famine-struck occupied Gaza Strip. This new model of privatized, militarized aid distribution constitutes a radical and dangerous shift away from established international humanitarian relief operations,[1] and, as we have seen during the three weeks of GHF’s operations in Gaza, one that is dehumanizing, repeatedly deadly and contributes to the forced displacement of the very population it purports to help.
Oxfam and over 170 other NGOs operating in Gaza call for immediate action to end the deadly Israeli distribution scheme (including the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation) in Gaza, revert to the existing UN-led coordination mechanisms, and lift the Israeli government’s blockade on aid and commercial supplies. The 400 aid distribution points operating during the temporary ceasefire across Gaza have now been replaced by just four military-controlled distribution sites, forcing two million people into overcrowded, militarized zones where they face daily gunfire and mass casualties while trying to access food and are denied other life-saving supplies.
The International Sociological Association (ISA) has suspended the collective membership of the Israeli Sociological Society, pointing to its failure to condemn the dramatic situation in Gaza.
Worldview from Israel: The EU has sent the implicit message that it is fine with what Israel is doing to Palestinians
Messages from colleagues from Gaza and the displaced Palestinian students on our campuses have been the driving force for many of us
The British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES) is firmly committed to academic freedom. In this statement, the BRISMES Committee on Academic Freedom explains its position that, contrary to common assumptions, academic boycotts can be consistent with—and even necessary for—upholding academic freedom and fundamental human rights, particularly in contexts of systemic injustice.
The rectors of Belgian universities just started a new appeal calling on to the EU and member states to suspend the Association Agreement between Israel and the European Union
The undersigned human rights and humanitarian organizations and trade unions urge the EU to ensure that the ongoing review of Israel’s compliance with article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement be thorough, comprehensive, and credible.
