As Lebanon and Palestine burn, so do we all.
This is not only a message of solidarity with the people of Lebanon and Palestine.
This is not only a condemnation of the genocide nor a warning of mass displacements, mass secondary displacements, and the abandonment of migrant workers.
It is a statement on the collapse of the very institution of human rights.
As an organisation that has worked for nearly 20 years to ensure that migrants are included in the human rights framework, we at Migrant-Rights.org find ourselves at a crossroads. A fundamental principle of human rights is that they belong to all people without exception, and under international human rights law it is the responsibility of states to uphold them. Human rights law and standards have always been applied unevenly, but we work towards holding all states equally accountable to ensure that these rights are truly universal.
Yet, today the dire results of years of exception are evident, with the ongoing supply of weapons and diplomatic cover to Israel by the US, the UK, and European countries—the primary funders and advocates for migrant and human rights projects in the region and globally.
We are not only outraged by Israel's war crimes and boastful violations of international law. We are also appalled by these members of the international community who have enabled genocide of the Palestinian people for decades and are now complicit in its expansion into Lebanon and the wider region.
We are ashamed by the silence and complicity of Arab states that not only censor solidarity but allow their soil to be used for these crimes.
And we know what will follow: the same cycle of money pouring in to keep refugees trapped in the region, far from European and American shores, while neocolonial projects continue with impunity.
We urge the international community to uphold human rights principles without exception and to end the violence, end the occupation, and ensure accountability for the genocide and its enablers.