Challenges to international humanitarian law: Israel’s occupation policy

The complexity of the ever-shifting humanitarian landscape in the Middle East region –where the effects of perennial conflict and instability have rarely been contained within one country – is a major preoccupation for humanitarian organisations like the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). As fighting continues in Syria, unprecedented levels of displacement and destruction have resulted in a region that has already suffered various forms of violent upheaval for most of its modern history. The humanitarian catastrophe that has unfolded in Syria is bound to have long-term repercussions there, and in neighbouring countries too. With huge numbers of people fleeing across borders to escape the fighting, and many more displaced within Syria, the strain on host communities and governments is immense. The lack of tangible progress on both the political and humanitarian fronts is having a profound impact on the region and putting pressure on fragile ethnic and religious balances within numerous communities. The ICRC is particularly concerned with the situation in Lebanon, which is hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees amidst a fragile equilibrium between different communities. Another cause for concern is the serious deterioration of the situation in Iraq, where resurging sectarian violence is claiming a heavy death toll. For many, the regional instability resulting from the Arab Spring, be it in Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, or Tunisia, has outlasted the euphoria of social transformation. While this transformation is of critical importance in addressing Volume 94 Number 888 Winter 2012