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Palestine Tet – 53 – Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor: Israel demolishes Gaza cemeteries, confiscates dead bodies of Palestinians

December 15, 2023

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(Several weeks ago I happened upon the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor website. The information presented is well documented and not just about Israeli war crimes – perhaps even too light a term – being committed in Gaza. It covers human rights violations across the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) countries. I checked with some of the countries that I tend to follow closely – Tunisia and Algeria – and my impression is that the reports are just as accurate – and ethically courageous – as the stuff below. Euro-Med’s executive director is the world renowned Richard Falk, a scrupulously serious human rights researcher who spent a few months at the University of Denver’s Korbel School of International Studies when I was teaching there. 
Israel’s revenge offensive against Gaza knows no bounds; ethnic cleansing of Gaza includes those whose life has ended; their eternal journey disturbed by Israeli bombs and bulldozers. Euro-Med’s reporting on Israel’s war on Gaza, its attempts to crush the Palestinian resistance (marketed as an effort to eliminate Hamas), is devastating. In the piece below, just published yesterday – December 13, 2023 – examines the Israeli practice of demolishing Gaza cemeteries. It includes the confiscation of dead Palestinian bodies. RJP)

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Israel demolishes Gaza cemeteries, confiscates dead bodies of Palestinians

Israel demolishes Gaza cemeteries, confiscates dead bodies of Palestinians

  Israel-Palestinian Territory

According to Euro-Med Monitor field documentation, Israel’s army has targeted the majority of cemeteries in the Gaza Strip, including Al-Falujah cemetery in the northern Gaza Strip, Ali bin Marwan, Sheikh Radwan, Al-Shuhada, and Sheikh Shaaban cemeteries, in addition to St. Porphyrius Church cemetery in Gaza City and Al-Shuhada cemetery in the northern town of Beit Lahia, destroying dozens of graves in utter disregard for the sanctity of the dead.Large holes have been created inside these cemeteries as a result of frequent Israeli attacks, engulfing dozens of graves.
The remains of some dead bodies have been scattered or disappeared, while dozens of graves remain seriously damaged.Euro-Med Monitor received reports confirming that the Israeli army dug up several graves in Al-Faluga cemetery and stole dead bodies—believed to belong to Palestinian activists—amid fears that their organs might be stolen.Given the disgusting and unjustifiable international complicity, Euro-Med emphasised that Israel has not spared even the dead in its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which started on 7 October.

Israel systematically violates the sanctity of the dead and of cemeteries, the human rights organisation said, in flagrant violation of the principles of international humanitarian law and the rules of war in relation to the protection of cemeteries during armed conflicts.

Rule 115 of customary international humanitarian law states: “The dead must be disposed of in a respectful manner and their graves respected and properly maintained.” Article (130) of the Geneva Convention of 1949 also states that graves must be respected, properly maintained, and marked in such a way that they can always be recognised.

According to Euro-Med Monitor, more than 120 mass graves were recently established across the Gaza Strip to bury those killed in Israel’s ongoing genocide of Gazans, given the difficulty of accessing the main and regular cemeteries and the non-stop Israeli attacks.

Families in the Gaza Strip have resorted to creating random mass graves in residential neighbourhoods, courtyards, roads, wedding halls, and stadiums. More than 120 of these mass graves have been established so far.

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reiterated that Israel—like any other country—must abide by the principles of international law, which stipulate that the dead must be respected and protected during armed conflicts, and that the parties involved must take all reasonable steps to prevent the confiscation and dismemberment of the dead bodies.

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2 Comments leave one →
  1. William Conklin permalink
    December 15, 2023 7:16 am

    Thanks for your post Rob. It looks like the “Jewish“ state is no longer composed of the chosen peop

    Reply
  2. algilber2013 permalink
    December 18, 2023 12:01 pm

    Hi Rob,

        This is extremely courageous for its recognition of Israel's demolition of Palestinian cemeteries and confiscation of bodies.  Do you have more information on this and are you by chance in contact with Dick Falk (or know how to reach him)? 

     I have recently been adding to my book on genocide toward Indigenous skulls in the US - their removal from the land vital to claiming sovereignty over it in the amazing words in the 16th century of Bernardo de las Casas - material on blowing away bodies and collecting skulls in Britain, the French Musee de l'homme, and Germany (both in "Southwest Africa" and World War II).  And this description, sadly, makes a perfect fit. 

     By the way, Amy Goodman has a terrific segment Friday with Masha Gessen whose comparison of the Warsaw Ghetto and the Holocaust is apt and has drawn down the wrath of the German government and the Right.  Really worth listening to. 

                    All the best,                         Alan ________________________________
    Reply

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