Palestinian and Lebanese Struggles Are Bioethical Issues
An Open Letter to the UN
To Whom It May Concern:
I sincerely hope your days have been wonderful while keeping your eyes shut on the struggles of the world, and I genuinely wonder if it makes you feel better choosing to turn blind to those who demanded help, care, and justice.
Today marks 365 days since October 7, 2023, and according to Al Jazeera, the latest death toll stands at 42,612 Palestinians and 1,139 people in Israel since then. In January of 2024, the International Court of Justice held a public hearing on the issue of the legal consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The ICJ has concluded that Israel’s occupation and expropriation of the Palestinian territories are unlawful, and its laws and policies against Palestinians violate the prohibition on apartheid and racial segregation. The Israeli government and its army were advised to step down on the attack in Gaza after the hearing, but a month later they pushed everyone from the Gaza strip south to Rafah, the southernmost point, bordering Egypt. In early May of 2024, Israel declared an operation to attack the last safe space of the Palestinians in the name of eliminating Hamas. By then, according to AP news, Hamas has already accepted a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar, including returning hostages to Israel, but Israel claimed the deal did not meet their commands, so they continued to conduct airstrikes on Rafah. They seized and closed the Rafah crossing so the Palestinians had nowhere to run. On May 24, the International Court of Justice ordered an immediate halt to the offense, but it was rejected by Israel. Then Rafah was burned. Fathers, mothers, and children were screaming. I cannot unsee the horrific inhumane scenes. Did the council not get a chance to see all the photos and videos? Did you think it was ethically fine?
Fast forward to September 17 of 2024, Israel declared a new aim to attack Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hundreds of walkie-talkies intended for the use of Hezbollah members exploded throughout Lebanon and Syria, killing 42 people and injuring more than 3,000 civilians in two days. On September 23, Israel conducted mass airstrikes, killing at least 700 people and leaving 500,000 people displaced. According to Al Jazeera, this day is marked as the deadliest day in Lebanon since the Lebanese Civil War 34 years ago.
Above is a short and incomplete summary of the past 365 days of a living hell for the Palestinians, Lebanese, and Israelis. People have lost their loved ones or their own lives, yet they are still suffering every single day. According to the Human Rights Watch, the hospital cares and resources are scarce for Gazan civilians because the Israeli government and armies either bombed or refused to let humanitarian aid pass through their control. This is the fundamental rule broken by the Israeli operation, violating the ground principles of biomedical ethics. This was supposed to be the last straw for the UN to step in and intervene, but currently there is no further interrogation and proper mediation. If we have these principles but choose not to hold them accountable, then what is the point? Where in the scale of morality does the UN stand? Every day the situation worsens. This is only a fraction of a grand ethical concern.
When is it enough? Who more must die for you to realize that it has gone on for far too long?
This letter aims to address the current situation I stated above through the lenses of biomedical ethics. The four principles of biomedical ethics are autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. With examples and through my analysis, I will address several concerns of the actions done by the Israeli government and armies, led by Prime Minister Netanyahu, that have failed and violated all four principles, therefore, calling more of your attention, reflections, and solutions on the current struggles of the Palestinian and Lebanese people.
The ongoing attacks on Gaza have resulted in immense civilian suffering, and the Israeli government’s actions have led to significant violations of autonomy. In a biomedical setting, autonomy refers to the right of individuals to make informed decisions about their lives and own bodies without external interference. According to many UN journal reports, the Israeli military has targeted hospitals, clinics, and ambulances. In doing so, they directly violate the autonomy of healthcare professionals to provide care and of the patients to receive it. Medical professionals in Gaza face significant risks, not only in their own lives but also as it relates to their autonomy of being able to help patients. Moreover, mass graves in Gaza were found and reported by UN journalists where Palestinian victims were stripped naked with their hands tied up under the remains of Hospitals in Khan Younis, central Gaza, and Al-Shifa. This discovery revealed the Israel Defense Forces’ attack on human dignity, which is the core concern of the principle of autonomy.
Even in war, morality should be held true and accountable. It is indeed impossible to remain beneficent to your political enemy, but the Israelis’ approach of collective punishment on the Gazan civilians shows their intention of harm. According to Human Rights Watch, Gaza is being starved, because Israel has been imposing a blockade on aid of food, baby formula, medication, and other essential care items. This is a man-made famine designed to weaken the population as a collective punishment that actively violates the principle of beneficence, which refers to actions that promote the well-being of others and aim to “do good.” Israel’s policies of home demolitions, where the homes of suspected Hamas and Hezbollah families are destroyed, punishes entire families for the actions of a single individual. These actions, intended to harm innocent civilians, including children, and undermine their physical and mental well-being, is the definition of collective punishment, which is broadly considered a violation of international law and fails to promote the well-being of the population, thus contradicting the principle of beneficence.
With every accountable attack done by the Israeli military, there is no place left for me to discuss the violation of the principle of non-maleficence. This principle suggests that one should not kill or cause unnecessary pain, should not incapacitate, and should not deprive others of goods. However, the existence of the State of Israel is based on settlements where the Palestinians were forced to move out. According to the UN, during the 1948 Palestine War in which the State of Israel was established, around 700,000 Palestinians were expelled or displaced from their homes. It is now known as the Nakba. The Human Rights Council’s report titled “Anatomy of a Genocide” further listed the Israeli government’s current neglections of morality. According to Francesca Albanese, one key finding of the report pointed out that Israeli executives and soldiers have intentionally distorted ethical principles so severely that it is being put to court under the allegation of “an attempt to legitimize genocidal violence against the Palestinian people.” The ICJ hearing held after the publication of this report is enough proof of their failure to follow the principle.
Justice is the term we heard too much about and never got enough in return. Everyone in Palestine and Lebanon demands justice, especially from the United Nations. It is use-less for us to only talk on paper while the rest of the world is suffering; it is use- less for the UN to exist if there is no track for justice and accountability. Biomedical ethics should be more than just theories and concerns. The principles need to be followed, conducted, and monitored. As human rights author, Julian Sheather put it, “(bioethics) looks more like an esoteric philosophical exercise for academics sitting in comfortable conference rooms in faraway luxury hotels, rather than an instrument to protect the vulnerable.” We cannot just let morality and ethics become something abstract, because people will lose respect for not only the principles, but also each other.
Hereby, I am calling all attention possible to review all the past events and push justice forward. Israel has violate the fundamental principles of biomedical ethics, which put Palestinian, Lebanese, and Israeli civilians in danger. Crime has been building up for over 75 years and there is still no justice to be found. We need more than just a permanent ceasefire and tremendous number of humanitarian aids; we need to see systematic changes and charges to those who betrayed humanity. We need official action.
The United Nations exists for one reason and one reason specifically: that is to restore peace and justice to the world. It is time to use your position of power to care and save people with actions and not just words on reports. By being complicit with these crimes against humanity, the UN’s intentions and position also distinctly violated the principles of biomedical ethics. I see tensions behind the original purposes of the establishment of the UN and the current representations of this organization.
The council was supposed to advocate for and protect human autonomy, yet with all the reports the UN has received that precisely pointed out such violations, no further effort was made to protect the autonomy of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians. Another responsibility that falls under the UN is to ensure the principle of non-maleficence, to minimalize harm during conflicts and wars. So far, this factor has been completely neglected. The ICJ issued a case against Israel on conducting genocide, yet no proper follow-ups and restrictions on the Israeli operations were ever addressed again. Now the Israeli government has expanded its damaging cause to the Lebanese people, causing more killing and suffering, while UN is ignoring its ethical principles and staying silent against hideous misconducts.
If there is no justice to be found within an organization that was supposed to be the advocacy for it, then where is the hope for humanity’s future?
I am here to urge the members of the UN council to fully reflect on your positions and stances while facing the disappointment of all humanity. Why is it still happening? Why are you letting innocent people, children die for nothing? Why are you silently compromising with the crimes done by Israel? If you care, then why is there nothing effectively done to improve the situation? I am here to demand answers and actions.