Petition Urges International Organizations to Address Potential Genocide in Gaza
A number of activists delivered a petition on Sunday signed by over 2,000 people to a number of international humanitarian and UN agencies, calling for immediate and decisive action in the face of potential genocide perpetrated by Israeli forces
The petition, titled "Urgent Appeal: Urging INGOs and UN Agencies to Acknowledge the Gaza Genocide," explicitly calls for a clear condemnation of Israel's actions and an urgent ceasefire, and demands INGOs and UN Agencies express concern about a potential genocide in Gaza based on reports by experts, and the delivery of sufficient aid, especially to Gaza's northern districts.
The significance of the petition, according to the activists who led the petition, believe that that using the term "genocide" explicitly will exert significant pressure on Western governments to intervene.
The organizations that received the petition, which was delivered by hand, included the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator & Humanitarian Coordinator in Jordan, UNICEF, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Plan International, Danish Refugee Council, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, Save the Children, Doctors without Borders (MSF), Mercy Corps and the International Committee of the Red Cross .
The organizations were targeted since part of their mandate is to lobby governments to protect the people they serve.
The petition included evidence presented by experts like the former Director in the New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Craig Mokhiber and UN Special Rapporteurs who have raised concerns about crimes against humanity.