The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) on Wednesday required an end to attacks targeting or indiscriminately affecting civilians in Lebanon. Acting under his Early warning and urgent action proceduresThe committee warned that no exception to the prohibition of racial discrimination would be permitted during an armed conflict.
Under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discriminationwhich Israel ratified in 1979, states must prevent and eliminate racial discrimination, including (as interpreted by CERD) against non-citizens under the “effective control” of a state. Large-scale displacement in a conflict area may raise concerns under CERD if the impacts disproportionately affect a particular ethnic or national group or if official statements dehumanize the affected population.
CERD expressed concern about the civilian casualties caused by Israeli military operations in the war against Hezbollah. It again called on Israel to lift “blanket displacement and evacuation orders” and stop the forcible relocation of people through southern Lebanon. UN officials previously questioned whether these orders met the effectiveness requirements of international law. CERD reported that more than 360,000 people remained displaced at the end of July.
The warnings, like this one was posted on X Earlier this month, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman called for an immediate evacuation and warned that anyone staying near military targets was “putting their lives in danger.” CERD noted that more than 70 such orders were issued in March, affecting nearly 190 towns and villages.
Hezbollah is a Shiite Islamist paramilitary group based in Lebanon that Israel describes as an Iran-backed terrorist organization. Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention reflects customary international humanitarian law, which prohibits the forcible individual or mass transfer of civilians unless an evacuation is for the safety of the civilians or for “compelling military reasons.”
The committee also found that Hezbollah attacks on Israel have resulted in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. The IDF claims that rocket attacks and attempted infiltrations from Lebanon have also displaced Israeli civilians in the north.
Israel claims its military operations are targeted Hezbollah military facilities embedded in civilian areas in southern Lebanon. Israel justifies its evacuation orders with precautionary measures that comply with international law. Separately, the CERD has found that displacement patterns in southern Lebanon correlate with demographic changes that fall within its official monitoring mandate.
