In an open letter addressed to world leaders, Lebanon implored them to end the massacres in Gaza and “build a path to peace, granting Palestinians basic rights and human dignity.” The letter continued, “Violence and destruction only sow the seeds for more violence. The world can find an equitable solution to the Palestinian problem. It is time to heed the call for both empathy and reason.”
In a statement on Tuesday, the General Secretariat of the Lebanese Council of Ministers clarified that the open letter was issued based on the proposal of caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Saade Chami and was reviewed by the ministers and approved by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
The letter is entitled “An Urgent Plea to Humanity: The Heartbreaking Demise of Innocence.”
It reads as follows:
“In a world plagued by indifference, we are bearing witness to massacres and ethnic cleansing in Palestine of unprecedented magnitude in our modern era. The ominous silence of influential parties is deafening. How can we ever encapsulate the sheer horror and savagery inflicted upon innocent civilians? We are left to ponder if there is even a trace of humanity left in this world. The intense images emanating from Gaza are an agonizing onslaught on the human spirit. Yet nations and leaders choose to avert their gaze, as if these horrors were mere mirages.
Children, the epitome of purity and innocence, have been mercilessly slaughtered, and countless blameless lives have met a gruesome fate with a cruelty that defies belief. The loss of a single innocent life, any life, should spark a powerful outcry. Yet the relentless killing in Gaza lacks the vehement condemnation that such barbaric actions rightfully demand. Despite the heart-wrenching brutality, the world remains inexplicably silent. These children are not casualties of their actions; they are innocent beings whose only fault is that they happened to be born in Palestine.
Nations have long championed the cause of human rights. But the violation of these rights and universal human values we are witnessing is flagrant. The blatant double standard being displayed is a slap in the face of morality and human dignity. But when humanity itself stands on the precipice of extinction, these atrocities are met with apathy.
The world bears a solemn duty to safeguard these innocent children and souls. Many world leaders tuck in their children and grandchildren each night to ensure their peaceful sleep. But should not the haunting images coming out of Gaza, where the lives of children are systematically extinguished, stir a sense of empathy in their hearts and awaken a moral conscience within their minds? How do they find solace in their sleep when they possess the power to halt these massacres, yet they choose not to wield it? Gaza, once described as an open-air prison, has now been transformed into an open-air mass graveyard, a chilling testament to the abyss of cruelty humankind has descended into.
What words can we offer to mothers who witness their children torn apart in the most gruesome fashion? What solace is there for children and infants who have lost their mothers, or worse, lost both parents, and are left to navigate life’s treacherous waters without a lifeline? The indiscriminate killings of hundreds within a refugee camp or in a hospital or schools are an affront to the collective conscience of our world.
We implore world leaders to end these massacres and build a path to peace, granting Palestinians basic rights and human dignity. Violence and destruction only sow the seeds for more violence. The world can find an equitable solution to the Palestinian problem. It is time to heed the call for both empathy and reason.”
