Threats by Israeli officials envisioning a level of destruction in Lebanon comparable to that in Gaza were highlighted in an assessment by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). The committee called for an end to rhetoric dehumanizing the people of Lebanon.
In its assessment issued under the Early-Warning and Urgent Action Procedure, CERD stressed that the prohibition of racial discrimination cannot be suspended during armed conflicts.
Rising civilian casualties in Lebanon
The committee expressed concern that Israel’s military operations in Lebanon had caused civilian deaths, mass displacement and widespread destruction. The assessment also listed airstrikes, artillery fire and the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas.
CERD also pointed to a statement said to belong to Israel’s defense minister that described the Shia population living in 24 villages in southern Lebanon as the “enemy.” The committee said this rhetoric was used to justify the complete destruction of homes.
CERD said that more than 4,300 people had been killed and at least 12,200 injured in operations in Lebanon. More than 1 million people were displaced after evacuation orders issued in March over a period of less than three weeks affected at least 189 towns and villages. By the end of July, more than 360,000 people remained displaced, including approximately 27,200 living in collective shelters.
Warning over villages in southern Lebanon
CERD also voiced concern over reports that some villages in southern Lebanon had been rendered entirely uninhabitable. The attacks and destruction affected not only homes but also schools, health facilities, water and electricity infrastructure, places of worship and farmland.
The committee also expressed concern over rockets launched by Hezbollah in Lebanon toward densely populated areas in Israel. These attacks caused civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.
CERD calls on all parties to act
CERD called on all parties to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah to immediately stop attacks that directly target civilians and civilian objects or affect them indiscriminately. The committee also called on Israel to withdraw its blanket displacement and evacuation orders in Lebanon.
The assessment called for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of displaced people to be facilitated and for obstacles to humanitarian assistance to be removed. CERD also urged states to refrain from transferring weapons or military equipment when there is a clear risk that such transfers could facilitate violations of international law.
