Susan Sarandon Highlights Ongoing Human Rights Violations Against Palestinians

During an online press conference with activists in the West Bank, American actress and human rights activist Susan Sarandon raised urgent concerns about the continued and expanding injustices faced by Palestinians. Sarandon condemned the Israeli state's actions, which she claims have been part of a long-term strategy aimed at erasing the Palestinian people from the map. "What is happening in Gaza and the West Bank is part of the same cruel strategy. Palestinians are being brutally dehumanized, treated as inferior, and stripped of their most basic rights and dignity," Sarandon stated, referencing the tragic loss of life since the commencement of military operations in Gaza. According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over 1,000 Palestinians have died in the West Bank since October 7, 2023, including many children, and the violence continues to escalate. The press conference highlighted alarming statistics, including the deaths of over 200 minors in Gaza and the harsh realities faced by the Palestinian population under military occupation for nearly six decades. Human rights lawyer Allegra Pacheco, also present at the conference, described the dire conditions Palestinians endure, stating, "When you are under foreign military control, you have no control over anything in your life. You have no protection; you don’t know what is going to happen when you go to sleep at night. Your house can be raided by the Israeli army, and you can be shot and killed every day." Reports of violence from Israeli settlers were also a focus of the discussion, with claims that 53 Palestinian communities have been partially or totally displaced due to this brutality. Pacheco noted the deeply entrenched fear among Palestinians, with an estimated 1,000 individuals displaced from their homes, coupled with the 35,000 displaced from refugee camps in the West Bank earlier this year. Oxfam policy officer Bushra Khalidi responded to Sarandon's assertions, indicating that this ongoing violence is not a new phenomenon but a continuation of decades of passivity from the international community. "The world has looked the other way, softened its language, or tried to manage the crisis instead of ending it, despite warnings from the International Court of Justice which has determined Israel's occupation is illegal," she emphasized. Khalidi further stated that the practices of annexation and the transfer of civilian populations into occupied territories are illegal under international law—assertions that echo the calls for accountability, as many ask why states do not take action against such actions that threaten the viability of a sovereign Palestinian state. This stark commentary from prominent figures like Sarandon and Pacheco, amid the humanitarian crisis in the occupied territories, calls for renewed attention and action from the global community to address the entrenched conflicts and uphold human rights for all individuals affected. Related Sources: • Source 1 • Source 2