Photo of Sarah, The Syria Campaign activist, outside the United Nations in New York by Luigi Morris
My name is Laila and as a daughter of both Syria and Lebanon, my heart is breaking as I watch the devastating Israeli attacks raining down on my family and friends in Lebanon. Beirut is a short drive from Damascus and before I fled Syria and the Assad regime, it was a second home to me. For over 1.5 million Syrians now living in Lebanon as refugees, it still is.
Since September 26 hundreds of thousands of them have been forced to make another terrifying escape, as even the roads that people used to flee attacks were hit by bombs. Many have been barred from emergency shelters, as Syrian refugees are increasingly treated with racism and as second class citizens in Lebanon. Once again, as Syrians we find ourselves abandoned by the UN refugee agency UNHCR and the international community, and without a home – but so do tens of thousands of Lebanese and Palestinian civilians also under attack.
Since Israel started bombing Lebanon over 2,000 people have been killed and over 1.2 million have been displaced. It's time to stop this madness: everyone needs protection right now, and we must join together to demand it.
Let's urge the UN Security Council to declare an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and Palestine, an end to arms sales to Israel and implement a protection plan for all civilians in the region, including over 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon who are at risk of attacks and forced return to Syria.
Our exhaustion at this point is panic inducing, but now is not the time to despair. Now is a time when bold decisions can, and must, be made – if together, we can make our voices louder than the lobbyists and war crimes deniers.
The scale of attacks by Israel over the past year are unprecedented and to protect civilians in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Israel and the whole region a ceasefire is essential. This requires stopping the international flow of weapons to Israel.
I hate war just as much as my friends and family in Lebanon do and we will never forget the starvation sieges and other atrocities Hezbollah inflicted in Syria to prop up the Assad regime. Impunity is dangerous to humanity and all war criminals must be held to account.
With the conflict threatening to expand further, the urgency of our pressure is greater than ever. We cannot allow cynical voices – and vested interests – turn action to deliberation. Now is the time to push world leaders to be bold. France has already announced that an international meeting will take place in October to discuss how to provide humanitarian aid to Lebanon and on October 16 the EU will organize a meeting to discuss a ceasefire: let's seize this moment to demand a ceasefire across the region.
If you and thousands of others around the world sign the petition and share it widely now, together, we can push for an end to the conflict and ensure the protection of all civilians.
With gratitude,
Laila Kiki
The Syria Campaign, Executive Director
No comments:
Post a Comment