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Palestinians in Gaza have been subjected to relentless bombardment and multiple waves of mass displacement by Israel for over a year.Amnesty International reiterates its calls for an immediate ceasefire to end civilian suffering. The Israeli military must stop issuing mass evacuation orders which amount to forced displacement of the civilian population.
The only reason Gazans have been fleeing from one area to another within Gaza is because they are barred from fleeing Gaza altogether. That is, to a large part, the fault of Amnesty and Human Rights Watch.
Since the start of the war, Gaza civilians have been begging to flee to Egypt. Several thousand lucky ones were able to pay exorbitant sums to pay bribes to leave before Egypt closed the Rafah crossing.
But Egypt put up a massive wall specifically to stop any Gazans from entering. And neither Amnesty nor Human Rights Watch said a word.
Refugee protection is one of the topics that human rights groups should excel at. Nations are not likely to condemn Egypt for its stand against Palestinians refugees, because they don't want to endanger their own rights to choose whom to allow in their own borders. But human rights groups have in the past publicized the plight of refugees, from Myanmar to Syria and Sudan, and successfully pressured governments to allow refugees to enter.
If HRW and Human Rights Watch had created campaigns of the type they regularly mount against Israel, they would have caused public pressure on Egypt pointing out its hypocrisy in pretending to support Palestinians but not willing to save any of them. Hundreds of thousands of Gazans could be in semi-permanent housing in Egypt instead of being forced to go from one area to another since Hamas insists on using them as human shields wherever they go.
Thousands of lives could have been saved.
Outside of one article in The Hill by the HRW head refugee affairs (not a Middle East analyst) who mildly suggested that Gazans have the human right to flee, I cannot find a single statement by any human rights group demanding Egypt or any other country open their borders for Gazans to take refuge. The human rights groups seemingly fully swallow the propaganda that flight would result in the Gazans never being allowed to return because Israel would annex Gaza.
Everyone has the right to leave a country, the right to seek asylum, and the right not to be forced to return to face persecution or other serious threats. Egypt additionally has signed the the 1969 Organization of African Unity Refugee Convention which says they agree to not block any refugees in need from entering their country. These are basic human rights that the human rights community have conveniently decided don't apply to Palestinians.
When Amnesty condemns Israel for telling Gazans to move out of areas they intend to attack Hamas - something meant to save their lives - it is pointedly misdirecting from the real issue: why has it never called for Gazans to have the right to take refuge elsewhere, a right they insist upon for every other war zone?
Hamas is responsible for most Gaza civilian deaths, but Egypt and HRW and Amnesty should not be left off the hook for their role in denying Gazans their human rights and blocking them from being able to flee to a safe place.
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