Amnesty International Urges Lebanon Justice After Israel Kills More Than 380 People

Amnesty International France and four other organizations sent an open letter to Lebanon’s Minister of Justice and the Deputy Prime Minister of Lebanon, who chairs the National Committee for International Humanitarian Law, urging “immediate and concrete steps” for justice, truth, and reparations for thousands of civilians harmed in the conflict with Israel.

The letter says that a year after the deadline set for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, “the continuing Israeli attacks and the massive destruction of infrastructure” have prevented tens of thousands of people from returning home or rebuilding their lives.

Al Jazeera

It also states that since the ceasefire took effect, Israel has conducted near-daily attacks in Lebanon, “killing more than 380 people, including at least 127 civilians,” and that the Israeli army remains present in certain areas of Lebanese territory.

The organizations argue that Lebanon has ignored judicial measures it could have taken over the past year, including to carry out national investigations and to accept the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction, and they call on Lebanon to file a declaration with the ICC recognizing its jurisdiction under Article 12(3) of the Rome Statute.

They further urge Lebanon to present to Parliament a law elevating war crimes and acts constituting crimes under international law to offenses, and to establish a registry to record killings, injuries, and other damages to civilians.

Human Rights Watch said the Israel-Lebanon framework agreement “threatens to betray the victims of war crimes in Lebanon,” arguing that “Some parts of the text seem aimed at preventing victims of serious international crimes from seeking justice before international bodies.”

HRW’s report also criticized forced displacement, with Lama Fakih saying the agreement “risks depriving victims of justice at a moment when evidence is mounting toward illegal and repeated Israeli attacks.”

Al Jazeera

In parallel, Amnesty International and five other organizations warned that clauses 3 and 13 would “prevent Lebanon and Israel from having recourse to international courts, including the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice,” and they said Clause 3 “further violates international law and the prohibition of forced displacement.”

The Al Jazeera account adds that the organizations said Clause 13 was particularly concerning because it prevents civilians from “actions in international political or legal fora [forums],” while the agreement is described as brokered and signed in the United States on June 26.

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun, however, told a delegation that the framework deal “does not legitimise the continued Israeli occupation of Lebanon,” and he said it instead empowers the Lebanese army to extend its authority in the south after the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

The dispute over accountability and displacement is unfolding alongside reported casualty and displacement figures, with the Lebanese Ministry of Health cited as saying that since the start of the latest Israeli aggression on March 2, “4,297 people have been killed and 12,196 injured,” and that health-care workers accounted for “135 dead and 406 injured.”

“The Israel-Lebanon framework agreement “threatens to betray the victims of war crimes” in Lebanon, according to six prominent human rights and media freedom organisations”

Al Jazeera

The same source reports that the journalists’ toll since March 2 was “27,” and it names Amal Khalil, killed by the Israeli army on April 22 while performing her professional duties in the town of al-Tiri in southern Lebanon, with journalist Zainab Faraj severely injured.

In the background of the framework agreement, Radio-Canada reported that an IOM report said “646,107 people” had begun returning since June 22, while about “500,000” others remained displaced, and it said the ceasefire protocol signed on June 17 between Tehran and Washington allowed a precarious ceasefire to take effect in Lebanon from June 21.

Radio-Canada also said the framework agreement signed on June 26 ties Israeli withdrawal to the disarmament of Hezbollah, which the group refuses, and it quoted Joseph Aoun saying the text “did not legitimize the continuation of the Israeli occupation of Lebanon.”

As the political controversy continues, the Amnesty International France open letter warns that for thousands of families the post ceasefire period is not security or stability but “prolonged displacement, devastated livelihoods, and anxiety linked to uncertainty,” with no prospect of accountability or reparations.