Ramallah: Palestinian professional unions and popular federations have launched an urgent appeal to international unions and organizations to intervene against what they describe as a systematic starvation policy imposed by Israeli occupation authorities on the people of Gaza.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the announcement was made during a press conference hosted by the Palestinian Bar Association in Ramallah. Leaders from various unions, including the Bar Association, Journalists' Syndicate, Engineers' Syndicate, Medical Association, Teachers' Union, Agricultural Engineers, Women's Union, and Veterinary Syndicate, participated in the event. They accused the occupation of using starvation as a weapon of war and genocide, violating international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions, and human rights principles.
The conference featured a joint appeal urging global unions and popular movements to take a stand against this ongoing issue. Fadi Abbas, head of the Palestinian Bar Association, highlighted the importance of the international union movement in fulfilling its professional, legal, and ethical responsibilities to halt this deadly policy and ensure justice for the Palestinian people.
The appeal underscored that over two million people in Gaza are subjected to a blockade that constitutes a war crime under the Rome Statute and a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention. It called attention to the daily realities of death by starvation in Gaza, documented in official reports and characterized by the deliberate prevention of essential supplies and infrastructure targeting.
The statement declared the situation a fully constituted crime by Israeli authorities, urging international courts and the global community, particularly professional unions, to take moral and legal action. It emphasized the role of professional unions in defending truth, justice, and human dignity, calling for explicit condemnation of the starvation policy as a war crime.
The appeal also demanded immediate action through international frameworks to activate accountability mechanisms and prosecute those responsible. It encouraged coordination with Palestinian unions to form a unified legal defense for Palestinian rights and organize global solidarity campaigns.
The unions concluded with a call to action, stressing that silence could be seen as acceptance of the crimes. They urged a united professional voice to impact international justice and help prevent further humanitarian disasters, advocating for a world where human dignity and rights are upheld.
