By PAULO SERGIO PINHEIRO*
Several recent armed conflicts have completely disintegrated civilian population protection systems.
A disturbing gradual and steady erosion of the universal norms of international law has occurred in recent decades. Several recent armed conflicts have completely disintegrated the systems of protection of the civilian population.
In the most serious and long-lasting of these conflicts, the State of Israel, in an attempt to defend itself from Hamas, destroyed all the schools, hospitals, universities, mosques, churches, archives and museums in the Gaza Strip in one year. Around 1,9 million inhabitants were displaced from their homes. Almost 2% of the population was killed by Israeli bombings — 60% of these 42 victims were children, women and elderly people over 60 years of age.
At the end of September, the escalation of attacks that began on October 8, 2023 between Israel and the Lebanese armed non-state group Hezbollah worsened. On September 27, without warning, Israel dropped more than 80 2.000-pound bombs on a neighborhood in southern Beirut, destroying six apartment buildings and resulting in the death of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah.
There have been 1.700 bombings in Lebanon, including recently in central Beirut. In total, 1,2 million people have been displaced, 2.083 killed and 10 injured since last October, most of them in the last three weeks. Israel attacked soldiers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) amid protests from 40 countries, including Brazil.
Everything before the death of the Hezbollah leader, considered by the US as a “measure of justice”, seems outdated. But for the victims, the recent past remains the present. As were the explosions on September 17 and 18 in Lebanon, and also in Syria, in pagers e walkie-talkies, attributed to Israel — targeting Hezbollah, but which affected 3.500 Lebanese, with 42 deaths. 300 people lost both eyes and 500 lost one of their eyes. There were reports of serious injuries to the waist and face of the victims, as well as amputated hands.
The attacks, targeting those in possession of the targeted devices, violated international human rights and humanitarian law, said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. Despite this, Western powers that support Israel have not condemned the attacks. The reactions of the international media were indecently fascinated, with the feat being considered “innovative” and “audacious”.
It was to be expected that Israel's attacks on Lebanon would generate protests here, given that Brazil has the largest community of Lebanese and descendants outside the Middle Eastern country — between 7 and 10 million people.
What a mistake. In the face of these horrors, Brazilian civil society organizations have not spoken out. Having remained silent for a year about the ongoing genocide in Gaza — the plausibility of which was confirmed by the International Court of Justice — they have maintained an obsequious silence about the desperate situation in Lebanon.
But once again, the Brazilian government saved us from this international embarrassment, having vehemently condemned the attacks on pagers and denounced Israel's military operations in southern Lebanon as a violation of international law, the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions.
Events such as those that occurred in Gaza, Lebanon and in different parts of the world undermine the universal applicability of international norms and mechanisms that are crucial for the protection of civilian populations.
It is urgent that Brazilian civil society realizes, as António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, said a few days ago, the “world of impunity” that threatens the foundations of international law.
*Paulo Sergio Pinheiro is Professor Emeritus at FFLCH (USP) and Unicamp; former Minister of Human Rights. Author, among other books, of Strategies of illusion: the world revolution and Brazil, 1922-1935 (Literature Company) [https://amzn.to/3TVJQdF]
Originally published in the newspaper Folha de S. Paul.
the earth is round there is thanks to our readers and supporters.
Help us keep this idea going.
CONTRIBUTE
