A declaration insisting that international humanitarian law must be followed in areas affected by the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians was adopted by consensus by 126 of the 196 parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention at a one-day conference in Geneva on Wednesday. The nations that took part in the conference signed a 10-point declaration reaffirming the obligations of both Israelis and Palestinians under international humanitarian law. According to the declaration, "All serious violations of international humanitarian law must be investigated and that all those responsible should be brought to justice." The declaration does not create new obligations but reiterates some, such as the "need to fully respect the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law," to prohibit "indiscriminate" and "disproportionate" attacks, the targeting of civilian objects and placing military objectives in the "vicinity of civilians and civilian objects." The text also emphasizes the signatories' "deep concern" about "the impact of the continued occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the closure of the Gaza Strip." The signatories ''reaffirm the illegality of Israeli settlements.'' Negotiated in the aftermath of World War II and ratified by 196 countries, the Geneva Conventions and their additional protocols lay down the standards of international humanitarian law in time of war and occupation. They aim to limit the barbarity of war and protect those who do not take part in the fighting (civilians, medics, aid workers) and those who can no longer fight (wounded, sick and shipwrecked troops, prisoners of war), the International Committee of the Red Cross explains on its website. Swiss Ambassador Paul Fivat, who chaired the conference on Wednesday, told reporters afterward the declaration is legally binding on all nations that adopted it. "This is a signal and we can hope that words count," Fivat said. The meeting was harshly criticized by Israel, which boycotted it, as did other nations such as the United States and Canada, which could limit its impact. Switzerland, as the repository of the Geneva Conventions, said "the state of Palestine" acceded to the conventions effective April 2, 25 years after Palestinians first sought membership. Israel opposed the move, arguing there is no universally recognized Palestinian state and it would complicate peace talks. The U.N. General Assembly upgraded "Palestine" to a "non-member observer state" of the world body in 2012.
Credit: Reuters
