French Muslim Council Urges Immediate Gaza Ceasefire, Criticizes Western Inaction

"The members of the CFCM express their deep state of affliction and anguish in the face of the human and unprecedented tragedy that the Palestinians, and in particular the children and babies of Gaza, continue to suffer in full view of everyone," the Muslim organization says in a statement. According to it, "this immense state of sadness is combined with a state of exasperation in the face of the incomprehensible passivity and total inaction of the so-called "Western" powers who have enshrined the defense of Human Rights, the Rights of the Child, and Humanitarian Law in their constitutions and fundamental principles."

The CFCM notes that "the cry of ’Never again’ bequeathed to us by the witnesses of Nazi extermination in the last century should have immunized us against criminal recidivism and genocidal temptations against humanity. Unfortunately, this was not the case in the recent past in Rwanda and Bosnia. Nor is it the case in Gaza, where the massacres and dehumanization striking the civilian populations make us fear the worst."

Observing that "no prospect leading to peace seems to be emerging," the Muslim organization deplores the massacre of "thousands of innocent civilians" by the Israeli army, "mostly women and children, and probably thousands more under the rubble," as well as "the total destruction of the health system in Gaza and the inhuman blockade practiced by Israel against the civilian populations."

This observation is also made by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, the Commissioner General. "We are reaching the point of no return, where the blatant disregard for international humanitarian law marks our collective conscience," he said. Faced with this bleak picture, the CFCM calls for mobilization for a ceasefire: "Because no one should tolerate such aggression against humanity, we must all mobilize more than ever for an immediate ceasefire and for peace."