<\/p>\n
11 February 2025<\/p>\n
GENEVA\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 UN experts* today condemned shocking threats by US President Donald Trump to \u201ctake over\u201d and \u201cown\u201d Gaza and move the Palestinian population elsewhere, using military force if necessary.<\/p>\n \u201cSuch blatant violations by a major power would break the global taboo on military aggression and embolden other predatory countries to seize foreign territories, with devastating consequences for peace and human rights globally,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n \u201cImplementing the US proposal would shatter the most fundamental rules of the international order and the United Nations Charter since 1945, that the US was instrumental in creating to restore peace after the catastrophic Second World War and Holocaust. It would return the world to the dark days of colonial conquest,\u201d the experts said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is manifestly illegal to invade and annex foreign territory by force, to forcibly deport its population, and to deprive the Palestinian people of their inalienable right to self-determination, including to retain Gaza within a sovereign Palestinian state,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n \u201cSuch violations would replace the international rule of law and the stability it brings with the lawless \u201crule of the strongest.\u201d International law aims to stop predatory countries from violently colonising foreign lands and subjugating their populations, which inevitably leads to gross human rights violations,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n \u201cJust as over half a century of Israeli occupation of Palestine has not brought peace or security to Israel or Palestine, US occupation would be similarly ruinous and fuel perpetual war, death and destruction,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n The mass deportation of civilians from occupied territory was recognised as a war crime under the Geneva Conventions of 1949 after the Second World War, to prevent the recurrence of acts such as Nazi Germany\u2019s expulsion of populations from European countries. Today, it is also a crime against humanity.<\/p>\n \u201cThe US proposal would accelerate forced displacement of Palestinians from their lands, which began in the 1947-48 Nakba, and has since included home demolitions, evictions, destruction and theft of natural resources and the criminal building of illegal Israeli colonial settlements,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n In his previous term, President Trump illegally recognised Israel\u2019s unlawful annexations of East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, which have been rejected by the International Court of Justice, the General Assembly, the Security Council and an overwhelming majority of countries.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the US President is genuinely concerned for the welfare of Palestinians, the US should broker a lasting ceasefire, resume funding to UNRWA, compensate Palestinians for damage resulting from US weapons and munitions supplied to Israel despite the serious risk of violations of humanitarian law, and end arms transfers. It should also pressure Israel to fund reconstruction and provide reparation for violations, pursue accountability for perpetrators of international crimes, and meaningfully support Palestinian statehood,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n The experts also urged the United States to support the multilateral bodies that protect human rights in Palestine, including the Human Rights Council and the International Criminal Court, which advance US national interests in liberty and justice.<\/p>\n Israeli military attacks in Gaza have killed over 48,100 Palestinians and injured 110,000, the majority women and children. They left 85 per cent of the population, about 1.9 million people, homeless and deprived of adequate food, water and other essentials, damaged or destroyed most housing, agricultural and public infrastructure and devastated the environment.<\/p>\n \u201cAll countries who care about human rights and the international rule of law should resolutely oppose the US President\u2019s illegal threats. The world must never again accept a lawless world dominated by brute force that endangers us all,\u201d they warned.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n *The experts: Ben Saul,<\/strong>\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism<\/a><\/em>; Francesca Albanese<\/strong>,<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0George Katrougalos,<\/strong>\u00a0Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Margaret Satterthwaite,<\/strong>\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Mary Lawlor,<\/strong>\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders;<\/strong>\u00a0Farida Shaheed,<\/strong>\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the right to education<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Gina Romero,<\/strong>\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association;<\/a><\/em>\u00a0Michael Fakhri,<\/strong>\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the right to food<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Genevieve Savigny<\/strong>, Chair of the\u00a0Working group on peasants and other rural workers<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Tomoya Obokata,<\/strong>\u00a0Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences;\u00a0Balakrishnan Rajagopal,<\/strong>\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Claudia Mahler<\/strong>,\u00a0Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Laura Nyirinkindi (Chair), Claudia Flores (Vice-Chair), Dorothy Estrada Tanck, Ivana Krsti\u0107, and Haina Lu<\/strong>,\u00a0Working group on discrimination against women and girls<\/a>;\u00a0Astrid Puentes Ria\u00f1o<\/strong>,\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Jovana Jezdimirovic Ranito (Chair-Rapporteur), Ravindran Daniel, Michelle Small, Joana de Deus Pereira, Andr\u00e9s Mac\u00edas Tolosa,<\/strong>\u00a0Working Group on the use of mercenaries<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Pedro Arrojo-Agudo<\/strong>,\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation<\/a><\/em>;<\/strong>\u00a0Reem Alsalem,<\/strong>\u00a0Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Surya Deva<\/strong>,\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the right to development<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Bina D\u2019Costa (Chair), Barbara G. Reynolds, Isabelle Mamadou<\/strong>,\u00a0Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Irene Khan<\/strong>,\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Heba Hagrass<\/strong>,\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Ashwini K.P<\/strong>.\u00a0Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Nicolas Levrat,<\/strong>\u00a0Special Rapporteur on minority issues<\/a><\/em>;\u00a0Siobh\u00e1n Mullally<\/strong>,\u00a0Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children<\/a><\/em>\u00a0and Paula Gaviria Betancur<\/strong>,\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"