The executive director of Amnesty International Portugal accuses both Palestine and Israel of committing war crimes. In statements this Monday to TSF Forum Pedro Neto speaks of attacks against civilians perpetrated by both sides of the conflict.
Hamas “attacks unarmed civilians” and sends rockets into Israel. “In retaliation, the Israeli government attacks the Gaza Strip, saying it is attacking Hamas targets. However, the Gaza Strip is an open-air prison, home to more than a million people, and it is impossible to attack a Hamas building without civilian targets,” he explains.
“If there is one side we have to be on, it is the side of protecting civilians, whether they are Israelis or Palestinians (…) Any attack on civilians is a war crime and we are seeing war crimes happening on both sides “
Pedro Neto calls on the international community to act to stop the escalation of violence.
“This issue is cyclical, we return to it again and again, and unfortunately this time with many reasons for greater concern, due to the rapid escalation of events. And, of course, the international community must worry about whether to intervene,” he argues. . .
Amnesty International has already launched “an appeal to the parties involved, both Hamas and the Israeli government, to refrain from escalating violence to such a level that it is already affecting many civilians on both sides.”
The United Nations has not been able to find solutions to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, for which it is responsible, regrets the executive director of Amnesty International Portugal.
“The United Nations started this problem several decades ago when they implemented the State of Israel in a territory where people already lived. They were sincere in not realizing that this would cause problems.”
And for this reason, the Secretary General of the United Nations and “an intervention force for peace” must simultaneously assume a role of “diplomatic influence” and act through “intervention and presence on the ground,” argues Pedro Neto.
At least 1,100 Israelis and Palestinians have died since Saturday morning, including children and at least 260 young people of various nationalities who were participating in a music festival in the desert.
Source: TSF
