747 elite figures of human rights activists, intellectuals and academics in the Arab world called United Nations issue resolution to consider Zionism a racist movement
On July 29, 2024, 747 elite figures from human rights activists, intellectuals and academics in the Arab world sent a memorandum to the Secretary-General and the President of the United Nations General Assembly, calling on the United Nations to issue a new resolution considering Zionism a form of racism in light of the war crimes, genocide and forced displacement that Israel has been committing in Gaza for more than nine months.
The memorandum mentioned that, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution No. 3379 on November 10, 1975, deeming “Zionism a form of racism and racial discrimination,” in a circumstance in which the struggle of the Palestinian Arab people for their right to self-determination received great respect, especially after the liberation of many of the peoples and countries of Asia and Africa from colonialism. This followed the issuance of Resolution No. (1514) of the United Nations General Assembly, ending colonialism in the year 1960. The issue of Palestine, recognized by international governmental and non-governmental circles, became an issue of national liberation for the people who suffered from occupation, but the United Nations, in a dangerous precedent, canceled this decision on December 16, 1991, contradicting the data it relied on when it made this historic decision.
The memo explained that, the reason for retreating from describing the nature of racist Zionism is due to the imbalance of power at the global level. The dissolution of the socialist bloc, the dominance of the United States in international relations, and its exclusiveness in international resolution, which left a double negative impact on the Palestinian Arab people, victims of racist discriminatory policies on the one hand. It negatively influenced the issue of international peace and security on the other hand, especially since there are legitimate doubts that accompanied the cancellation of Resolution (3379) on the part of all peace-loving forces that support the rights of peoples to self-determination, especially those that know the truth about racist Israeli practices in Palestine.
This dangerous development in the international situation, at that time, and on the eve of the repeal of Resolution (3379), did not prevent the global human rights movement and supporters of peace and liberation from continuing their struggle to support the Palestinian Arab people. They offered all forms of solidarity and demonstrated the truth of racist, arrogant practices, with awareness that this unprecedented step, taken by the United Nations, took place in an ambiguous circumstance. The United Nations contradicted itself, at a time when the world was witnessing Israel’s racist approach, and the high pace of settlement operations, deportations, annexation of lands, and the systematic evacuation of the population to eliminate the Palestinian presence, in contravention of international legitimacy and its resolutions, including Security Council Resolutions (242) of 1967 and (338) of 1973. These resolutions explicitly declare “the necessity of Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories, as contemporary international law does not permit the annexation of territories by force”. In addition, the Security Council considered the Knesset’s decisions to annex Jerusalem and the Golan to be invalid. The International Court of Justice had previously decided in 2004 that the construction of the “segregation wall” (the apartheid wall) was invalid, and ordered its dismantling and compensation for those affected by its construction.
In Addition Memo noted that, Israel is still disavowing United Nations resolutions, especially Resolution (181) of 1947 and Right of Return Resolution (194) of 1948. In addition to a package of other resolutions condemning its racist practices and denial of the rights of the Palestinian Arab people. This is something that Israel and the forces behind it faced in the “Durban International Conference” (South Africa) regarding racism in 2001, in which about 3,000 international human rights and humanitarian organizations condemned Israel’s racist practices.
Regarding to that, what prompts us to address this message to you is that Israel declares, day and night, that its political doctrine is Zionism, and that based on the doctrine it has been carrying out the aggression today against Gaza for 8 months. The brutality that the entire world witnessed and expressed sympathy for the humane victims, as more than 170,000 people are killed or wounded. In addition, vital facilities, infrastructure, schools, hospitals, mosques, churches, and places of worship were destroyed, and medical teams and relief teams were targeted, in addition to cutting off water, food, medicine, electricity, fuel, and the most basic components of human life.
The Memo explained that, more than two million Palestinian people are exposed to an unprecedented human catastrophe in a brutal genocidal war. It uses the most heinous types of crimes against humanity and war crimes were committed. This violates the rules of international humanitarian law, especially the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their annexes the Geneva Protocols of 1977, the first on the protection of Victims of international armed conflicts; the second relates to the protection of victims of non-international armed conflicts.
These new and old practices make Israel a rogue state and outside international law. Indeed, they stand blatantly in opposition to the United Nations Charter, which recognizes the right of peoples to self-determination, as well as respect for human rights, which is a topic that cannot be ignored. It relates to the core of Israel’s political doctrine, which puts it in the dock, as well as its political and military leaders, according to the decisions of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.
The Memo showed, The world has begun to realize greatly, including some American and European Jews and many Western circles, especially students and youth movements , the danger of Zionism to the civilized world. In fact, the belief has begun to expand, according to the legal standard, that Zionism is a new form of racism and the apartheid system, which no longer exists as a political system in the world after the end of the apartheid South African regime, except in Israel. This is reflected in the rise in the score of the State of Palestine. (143) countries recently voted and recognized its right to be a full member of the United Nations, which led to an expansion of the scope of international recognition for it, as happened when Spain, Ireland, and Norway recognized it, as if it was a reaction to the practices of Zionist racism.
The Memo noted that, We, as Arab intellectuals, jurists, and peace advocates, start from the humanitarian and human rights values that we believe in, and are shared by intellectuals, jurists, and peace advocates from various parts of the world. I call on you, by virtue of your responsibilities, to review previous General Assembly resolutions, including reversing Resolution (3379), which considers Zionism a form of racism and racial discrimination.
The genocidal war carried out by the Israeli authorities in cold blood and without any legal, moral, religious or humanitarian consideration confirms the necessity and even the legitimacy of such a humanitarian demand that confirms the reality of racist practices and the political doctrine that justifies them.
According to that, Memo confirmed that, We will work collectively and individually with organizations, forces, cultural groups, countries, governments, and everyone who believes that Zionism is a new face of racism embodied in the Israeli practices on which it has been based since 1948 until today. To achieve this goal we will seek to achieve more solidarity with the Palestinian Arab people, so that they have self-determination, establish an independent and viable national state with Al-Quds as its capital, the return of refugees, and compensate the injustice and damage suffered, and the devastation that befell the people for more than three-quarters of a century. This major international responsibility falls on the United Nations and all the influential powers.
