Mr. António Guterres
Subject: Accountability and Action Required on the Ongoing Genocide in Palestine
Mr. Secretary-General,
While we recognize that the United Nations reflects the collective will of its member states, these states must take greater action. However, your position as Secretary-General demands more from you in this critical moment for humanity.
It is unfathomable that ethnic cleansing in North Gaza is taking place before the eyes of the world, with the international community remaining largely passive. As Secretary-General of the United Nations, you have a duty to uphold. You can, and you must, do more.
The time for mere ‘condemnation’ has passed. The United Nations must replace it with an uncompromising and explicit denunciation of those perpetrating this genocide against the Palestinian people: the State of Israel.
Yes, this is a genocide in plain sight—a systematic extermination of innocent, defenseless Palestinian men, women, and children.
The international community cannot remain idle when the voice of a Palestinian mother cries out: “I lost my ten children. All killed by Israel. I have no one with me but God.”
The United Nations has failed—and it has failed miserably. You, Mr. Secretary-General, have failed, and history will hold you accountable. You cannot continue to hide behind empty statements. You have a duty to stand up for what is right.
Mothers around the world are watching in horror.
Enough killing.
Enough maiming.
Enough burning.
Enough bombing.
Enough orphaning.
Enough.
In one word, Israel has rendered the world:
Soulless.
Mr. Secretary-General, you cannot disregard the United Nations’ lessons and the insights of former Secretaries-General on the early warnings of genocide, especially since the situation in Gaza has already surpassed this stage. On March 26, 2004, former Secretary-General Kofi Annan delivered a statement in remembrance of the Rwandan genocide. The excerpts from his message, now more relevant than ever, echo with even greater urgency today:
“If the United Nations, government officials, the international media, and other observers had paid more attention to the gathering signs of disaster, and taken timely action, it might have been averted. Warnings were missed. I recall a 1993 report by a United Nations special rapporteur that spoke specifically of an impending catastrophe.”
“None of us must ever forget, or be allowed to forget, that genocide did take place in Rwanda, or that it was highly organized, or that it was carried out in broad daylight. No one who followed world affairs or watched the news on television, day after sickening day, could deny that they knew a genocide was happening, and that it was happening on an appalling scale.”
“Eight hundred thousand men, women and children were abandoned to the most brutal and callous of deaths, as neighbour killed neighbour. Sanctuaries such as churches and hospitals were turned into slaughterhouses. An entire country was shattered. A terrible chain of events gradually engulfed the entire region in conflict. Ten years later, we are trying to pick up the pieces.”
“If we can accept that everyone on this earth, regardless of colour, creed, language or ethnicity is fully human — and, as such, fully worthy of our interest, sympathy and acceptance –- we will have taken a giant step forward from dehumanization and toward a stronger sense of global kinship.”
Call for Immediate Action:
Mr. Secretary-General,
I urge you to immediately distribute the report by Mr. B.W. Ndiaye, Special Rapporteur on Rwanda, dated August 11, 1993, to all permanent missions at the United Nations. As Secretary-General, it is your responsibility to remind member states of the devastating consequences that arise from ignoring the lessons of history. You are their voice, and it is your duty to guide them, ensuring they understand the grave repercussions of neglecting these lessons.
There are clear parallels between the early warning signs outlined in the Rwanda Genocide report and the ongoing Palestinian Genocide, including:
1. Widespread Extrajudicial Killings and Targeting of Civilians:
Rwanda: The Special Rapporteur’s report notes frequent extrajudicial killings, massacres of civilians, and a deliberate targeting of Tutsis by Hutu militias and security forces. These actions involved organized campaigns of violence, reflecting state complicity or inaction.
Palestine: Reports by human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, document civilian casualties resulting from Israeli airstrikes and military operations in Gaza, as well as extrajudicial killings of Palestinians in the West Bank. They also describe targeted attacks on civilians, including women and children, and carpet bombing of densely populated areas like Gaza, resulting in large-scale civilian casualties. Gaza, especially North Gaza, has been wiped to the ground. Hundreds of Mass Graves in Gaza have been uncovered in the past few months.
2. Impunity and Lack of Accountability:
Rwanda: The report highlights a “tradition of impunity,” where those responsible for violations of human rights, including state actors, were not held accountable. This culture of impunity emboldened the perpetrators and perpetuated the violence.
Palestine: A recurring critique by international human rights bodies is Israel’s lack of accountability for human rights abuses and violations of international law in Palestinian territories. The Israeli government and military officials are rarely held responsible for attacks on civilians or violations of international law, perpetuating cycles of violence and contributing to a deep sense of injustice. Even arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against PM Netanyahu and Defense Minister Galant have proven to be in vain.
3. Ethnic and Political Discrimination:
Rwanda: The report mentions policies institutionalizing discrimination against Tutsis and other minorities, combined with propaganda that depicted Tutsis as a threat, fostering an environment ripe for mass violence.
Palestine: Palestinians face systematic discrimination in various aspects of life, including housing, movement, and access to resources. The Israeli legal framework differentiates between Israeli settlers and Palestinians living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which human rights organizations and the UN have described as a form of apartheid. In Gaza, the ongoing blockade has created dire humanitarian conditions for Palestinians and imposed starvation on the Palestinian people, equating to war crimes.
4. Injurious Propaganda and Incitement to Violence:
Rwanda: Hate propaganda was a key factor in fueling violence, with media outlets inciting ethnic hatred and dehumanizing the Tutsi population. This incitement contributed to a climate that normalized violence against the Tutsi community.
Palestine: There is significant concern over rhetoric that dehumanizes Palestinians and legitimizes violence against them. Statements by several Israeli political leaders including PM Netanyahu, Galant, Ben Gvir and Smotrich, media narratives, and social media campaigns have been cited as inciting violence or promoting discriminatory attitudes, fostering a climate that normalizes aggression against Palestinians
5. Mass Displacement and Humanitarian Crisis:
Rwanda: Nearly a million people were displaced.
Palestine: Two million Palestinians have been displaced, living in dire humanitarian conditions. Palestinians now live now in makeshift shelters or overcrowded camps. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is particularly dire, with shortages of clean water, electricity, and essential medical supplies, exacerbating civilian suffering and leading to a huge number of deaths every day. All Hospitals and Ambulances have been destroyed, and yesterday, Red Crescent volunteers have been stopped from continuing their life-saving roles in North Gaza.
6. International Community’s Role and Warnings:
Rwanda: The report warned the international community about the ongoing human rights violations and the potential for mass atrocities. Despite this, there was a lack of meaningful international intervention until the genocide was well underway.
Palestine: The situation in Gaza and the West Bank has been under international scrutiny for decades. Despite repeated warnings from UN agencies, international bodies, and human rights groups about potential war crimes and mass atrocities, there has been limited action to address the root causes of the violence or hold perpetrators accountable. Since 7 October 2023, Israel has launched into a 24/7 televised genocide against the Palestinian people.
In his conclusions in the 1993 report, the Special Rapporteur reminded member states that his
“recommendations take as their starting-point the principle that although their country is poor and overpopulated and they are exposed to all the evils of underdevelopment, Rwandese citizens, whatever their ethnic group, political affiliation or social origin, have the same fundamental rights as all other citizens throughout the world. There is no reason why their lives should not be as precious and well protected as the lives of citizens of the Netherlands, for example.”
The exact starting principle applies to the Palestinian people. You, as Secretary-General, must remind the international community that:
There is no reason why Palestinian lives should not be as precious and well protected as the lives of citizens of the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, France or the United States, for example.
While the historical, political, and contextual differences between Rwanda and Palestine are significant, the key similarities lie in the dynamics of ethnic cleansing, systematic violence, impunity, discrimination, and the international community’s inadequate response. In both cases, there is a failure to protect civilians and prevent human rights abuses, despite repeated warnings and evidence of escalating violence. The lessons from Rwanda underscore the urgent need for accountability, international intervention, and meaningful efforts to address the systemic causes of violence and discrimination to prevent further atrocities against the Palestinian people.
Mr. Secretary-General, your continued inaction in the face of what is undeniably a genocide in Palestine is an unforgivable betrayal of the very principles the United Nations was founded upon. The mandate of your office is not a privilege to be passively held but a solemn responsibility to actively protect those in danger. By remaining silent as atrocities are committed, you are failing not just the Palestinian people, but the entire international community that looks to you for moral leadership in times of crisis.
It is not enough to issue vague statements of concern or empty condemnations. You must denounce Israel as the enabler of this genocide, unequivocally and publicly, and take clear, immediate action with member states to stop these atrocities. The world is witnessing not just an escalating conflict, but the deliberate targeting of Palestinian civilians, the systematic destruction of their homes and infrastructure, and the ongoing ethnic cleansing of an entire Palestinian population.
Your reluctance to act decisively in this moment of grave injustice is a stain on your tenure and a dereliction of your responsibilities. The bloodshed in Palestine is not just a tragedy—it is a crime against humanity, and your failure to address it directly and truthfully implicates your leadership in its continuation. History will not absolve those who stood idly by or spoke in euphemisms while lives were destroyed.
If you do not act now, Mr. Secretary-General, you will forever be remembered not as a steward of peace, but as an enabler of genocide. You have the power to make a difference, to intervene decisively, and to mobilize the world’s conscience. Yet every moment of passivity and silence from you is a choice to condone these atrocities.
We demand that you take immediate action and use the full weight of your office to mobilize member states to stop this genocide. Issue clear denunciations of those responsible, enforce sanctions, and establish mechanisms for accountability. Anything less is complicity.
Choose to be remembered as a leader who took a stand against genocide, not one who looked away while an entire Palestinian people were systematically eradicated. History is watching, the world is watching, and the suffering in Palestine demands your courage and your voice—now.
Sincerely,
Nadine H. Kaddoura
Former UN Senior Staff and Founder
CERTIORARIS 24 October 2024
