IBA condemns Hamas attacks on Israel which represent a clear violation of human rights and humanitarian law and urges for a just solution to be achieved between Israel and Palestine
IBA reminds Israel of need to adhere to international standards in its response.
Statement by the President of the International Bar Association Almudena Arpón de Mendívil Aldama:
The International Bar Association (IBA) strongly condemns the heinous attacks on Israel by the militant group Hamas. These indiscriminate and targeted atrocities against Israeli citizens contravene an unequivocal, non-derogable prohibition under international law. The murder of civilians, the assaults, and the trespass into private homes to kill and maim are all internationally recognised crimes of profound gravity; the abductions and taking of hostages, including women, children and the elderly, are crimes in violation of human rights and humanitarian law.
Israel has an inherent right to self-defence from these unlawful attacks. However, in doing so, it, too, must ensure that civilian populations are shielded from harm and that military actions are conducted with a clear commitment to the international legal principles of distinction and proportionality.
The IBA, representing the global voice of the legal profession, urges all international institutions and governments to use their best diplomatic efforts to secure the release of the hostages, to prevent the escalation of violence in the region and to return to the peace tables so that a just solution is achieved between Israel and Palestine.
ENDS
ENDS
Notes to the Editor
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- The International Bar Association (IBA), the global voice of the legal profession, is the foremost organisation for international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. Established in 1947, shortly after the creation of the United Nations, with the aim of protecting and promoting the rule of law globally, the IBA was born out of the conviction that an organisation made up of the world's bar associations could contribute to global stability and peace through the administration of justice.
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), established in 1995 under Founding Honorary President Nelson Mandela, is an autonomous entity working to promote, protect and enforce human rights under a just rule of law, and to preserve the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession worldwide.
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