HRW urges halting weapons sales, transfers used in Israeli war crimes
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HRW's Executive Director, Tirana Hassan, stated that nations such as the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom may influence "Israel's" behavior and can do so by halting military shipments.
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Pro-Palestine demonstrators march through downtown Los Angeles on October 5, 2024. (AP)
The head of Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated on Friday that governments that sell weapons to "Israel" as it continues its aggression in Gaza and Lebanon are enabling belligerents abroad, Reuters reported.
HRW's Executive Director, Tirana Hassan, stated that nations such as the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom may curb "Israel's" behavior by halting military shipments.
"If there continues to be military support to the IDF and they (Western governments) know that these weapons are being used in the commission of war crimes, then that should be enough for weapons sales and transfers to stop," Hassan said during a Reuters interview.
“At this stage, the parties that could have some sort of influence and curb the behaviour of the warring parties, when it comes to Israel, it’s the US, it’s the UK and it’s Germany, and it’s through weapons sales and transfers.”
Hassan detailed how a lack of any consequences for their abuses allowed Israelis to feel empowered to continue their aggression, asserting that governments that continue to provide the occupation with weapons undermine their own credibility as defenders of international law, not to mention the integrity of the international system.
According to Hassan, this sends a message that "rules apply differently to us and our allies as they do to others, and that has really serious consequences."
She recalled how Western countries demanded Russian accountability for the war in Ukraine.
"They are very quick to point out double standards from the West and are trying to use that to undermine the system."
Hassan talked to Reuters as the United Nations Human Rights Office revealed that roughly 70% of confirmed deaths in Gaza were women and children, stating that this should "motivate the world into action" and that "there is no justification for the killing of children."
When asked about the potential implications of Donald Trump's election in the United States, she stated that there was "little assurance" of his devotion to international law during his previous presidency, citing his threats of mass deportation.
More than 50 countries press UN for arms embargo on 'Israel'
On Sunday, more than 50 nations have signed a statement urging the United Nations to impose a weapons embargo on "Israel," as genocide continues in Gaza.
Turkiye's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that it has sent the United Nations a letter signed by 52 nations and two organizations calling for a halt in military transfers to "Israel".
The Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated at a news conference in Djibouti, that a joint letter was sent to the UN on November 1, calling on all nations to stop arming "Israel", citing that it must be "repeated at every opportunity that selling arms to Israel means participating in its genocide."
Ahmet Yildiz, Turkiye's permanent ambassador to the UN, stated that "Israel's" actions had pushed the region to the brink of war.
Last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the UN to impose an arms embargo on "Israel", saying it would be an "effective solution" to end the war on Gaza, stating that an arms embargo against the occupation is necessary to boost pressure to end the war in Gaza, asserting that the occupation is trying to spread the "flames of conflict" it has sparked across the area.
He further warned that the occupation would inevitably "pay the price for this ongoing genocide in Gaza, sooner or later," noting that those dying in Gaza, parts of Palestine, and Lebanon are not just women, children, and innocent civilians but also represent the death of "humanity and the international order."
