The high-level UN conference to discuss a peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and implementation of the two-state solution next week must be centered around the immediate and effective application of international law, including states’ obligations to prevent and punish genocide and apartheid and end Israel’s unlawful occupation of Palestinian territory, said Amnesty International in an advocacy briefing published today.
The briefing outlines a series of recommendations for states to take meaningful action and exert the necessary pressure on Israel to end its ongoing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza, lift the inhumane humanitarian blockade and dismantle its unlawful occupation of the Palestinian territory and its system of apartheid imposed on all Palestinians whose rights it controls.
Peace and security means stopping the genocide
“If the ministers gathering in New York next week are truly committed to forging just, comprehensive and lasting peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians, the first priority must be to take concrete action to end Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and its unlawful military occupation of Palestinian territory, which has fuelled mass violations against Palestinians and enabled and entrenched Israel’s cruel system of apartheid,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
The current catastrophic crisis created by Israel in Gaza is unbearable, and states must act with urgency and resolve. Statements, condemnation and limited state actions are failing to protect civilians and uphold international humanitarian law.
“Genuine and meaningful action by states must begin, first and foremost, with the demand for an immediate and sustained ceasefire, as well as the lifting of Israel’s illegal blockade. Without these fundamental urgent steps, any process aimed at addressing the future of Palestinians lacks credibility. How such process be considered meaningful when Palestinians are being slaughtered, starved and forcibly displaced into ever-shrinking pockets of land on a daily basis?”
Among the recommendations, Amnesty International is urgently calling on states to:
- Demand an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza, ensure full, unimpeded access to all areas of Gaza and firmly reject Israel’s military-controlled, non-neutral aid distribution model. A principled, UN-led humanitarian response must be immediately restored, and funding for impartial humanitarian organizations must be maintained and expanded.
- End any trade or transfers that contribute to or are linked to the genocide, apartheid or the unlawful occupation. This includes in the first place banning all weapons and surveillance equipment transfers and any military assistance to Israel. States must end preferential trade agreements and cooperation deals with Israel, including the EU-Israel Trade Agreement.
- Adopt targeted sanctions against those Israeli officials most implicated in international crimes and cooperate with the International Criminal Court, including by implementing its arrest warrants.
- Commit to the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the rehabilitation of its people while opposing any forced displacement of Palestinians within or outside of Gaza.
- Establish mechanisms for reparations and rehabilitation of Palestinians, with Israel bearing the primary financial responsibility.
Amnesty International calls also on corporations to refuse any involvement in, or direct linkage to Israel’s unlawful actions. Corporations must ensure that they are not contributing to serious human rights violations themselves.
Mobilizing and campaigning crucial
The organization also calls on civil society and the public at large to continue mobilizing and campaigning to demand that states abide by their legal obligations under international law and denounce companies, banks and other economic actors that contribute to or are directly linked to Israel’s violations of international law, and demand that they stop.
“States must be unequivocal: Israel is not above the law and accountability is a priority. They must seize the opportunity presented by this conference to end their active or tacit support for Israeli violations or their self-imposed inertia. The conference must lead to a clear commitment by all states to suspend all economic activity that contributes to or is directly linked to Israel’s illegal occupation, its system of apartheid or its genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza,” said Agnès Callamard.
“With the very survival of Palestinians at stake, there’s no time to waste with false promises or platitudes. As people continue to take to the streets to demand global action and as more and more states are recognizing Israel’s genocide for what it is, an empty, performative exercise would not be just tone-deaf, it would be unconscionable. For this conference to be anything more than a charade, states must heed our calls. They must turn words into action that is firmly rooted in international law and protection of human rights.”
Background
Co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution will take place in New York from 28 to 29 July 2025.
