FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Washington, D.C. - September 11, 2024 | |
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media@cmep.org 925-766-9050 Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) joins leading Humanitarian Groups in calling for unfettered access to all detainees and hostages by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) | |
Washington D.C., 11 September 2024 - CMEP joins other leading humanitarian groups in calling on all UN Member States to take urgent steps to protect people deprived of their liberty across the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel. This includes demanding that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is granted immediate and unfettered access to all detainees and hostages, to the full extent required by international humanitarian law. Full access must also be granted for independent human rights monitors, legal counsel, and family members. The report notes the deplorable conditions of around 10,000 Palestinian detainees, including at least 650 children from the West Bank alone. The report notes the wide spread systematic abuse and ill-treatment suffered by Palestinians, including children, such as torture, sexual abuse, and at least 53 cases of death while in Israeli custody. The report records the horrid conditions of the Israeli hostages in Gaza including two children. These conditions include beatings, lack of access to food and water, and sexual abuse. The ICRC must be able to visit all of those impacted by detention and abduction in order to ensure that their human rights are upheld. "We emphasize that all Palestinian children arbitrarily detained and the remaining hostages in Gaza must be released immediately and unconditionally, and the abusive Israeli military detention system must end. Until this happens, Member States must do everything in their power to protect people deprived of their liberty. " You can view the full report and signatories below. | |
| Formed in 1984, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is a coalition of more than 30 national church communions and organizations, including Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and Evangelical traditions that works to encourage US policies that actively promote a comprehensive resolution to conflicts in the Middle East with a focus on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. CMEP works to mobilize US Christians to embrace a holistic perspective and to be advocates of equality, human rights, security, and justice for Israelis, Palestinians, and all people of the Middle East. | |
Recent CMEP Statements and Press Releases: September 10, 2024 Gaza Humanitarian Snapshot #5
Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) and leading humanitarian agencies outline the death toll of the recent Israeli military operations including the largest and longest incursion into the West Bank in two decades as well as the September 10th strike on the designated “humanitarian” zone in Al-Mawasi which so far has killed 40 people. September 10, 2024 Churches for Middle East Peace Condemns the Killing of U.S. Peace Activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi
Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) mourns the tragic killing of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old unarmed U.S. peace activist, by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) during a weekly protest against increased Israeli settlements in the West Bank town of Beita. According to eyewitness accounts, the shooting took place 30 minutes after the protest had disbanded. Aysenur, along with other international volunteers, were about 200 yards from the Israeli military when she was shot twice. Aysenur’s death is not an isolated incident; it is part of a disturbing pattern of U.S. citizens being killed or targeted by the IDF, with no justice or accountability in sight. September 6, 2024 CMEP Mourns Death of Hostages and Massive Civilian Deaths in Gaza
Since October 7, CMEP has continually called for the release of hostages taken captive into Gaza, as well as thousands of Palestinian prisoners held without due process of law. Our hearts go out to all families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives over the past ten-plus months. The value of every human life is sacred, and we mourn the loss of all lives caught in this ongoing conflict. We continue to demand the release of hostages who are held in Gaza and to call for an end to all violence between combatants and the Israeli military. August 29, 2024 Churches for Middle East Peace Condemns the Escalation of Settler Violence and Illegal Land Confiscation in the West Bank
Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) unequivocally condemns the escalating violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and the ongoing illegal confiscation of Palestinian land. We stand in solidarity with Palestinian families facing dispossession and violence, as well as with those who have been wrongfully detained for defending their internationally recognized human rights.
See all of our public statements and press releases. | |
