HWPL Statement on Israel-Iran Conflict
The recent violent conflict between Iran and Israel is causing significant concerns in the international community. The two nations that do not share borders are mobilizing high-end weaponry to attack each other and kill human lives.
1 April 2024, the Israeli military attacked the Iranian consulate in Syria. A strike against a non-military facility in a third nation, a nation not directly involved in the conflict, infringes international law and constitutes a war crime. Moreover, on 13 April, Iran responded by attacking Israel’s land. Both nations have pointed their guns directly at each other, and there are growing concerns in the international community that the attacks could escalate into another war.
The Israel-Hamas War in Gaza has killed 30,000 since last year, and news outlets reported on dire situations in Gaza, running out of space for proper burial. The war that has persisted in the region over the past century continuously overshadows the prospect of the coexistence of the human race.
It is a clear indication that the greatest victims of war are innocent civilians. How could those lost lives ever be brought back? What could compensate for the outcry of children and the anguish of the youth in devastated dwellings?
HWPL strongly supports the voices of the citizens, the true protagonists of the global village, who oppose war and call for peace. All nations of the global community must uphold the citizens’ demands, thereby ceasing the unjust war and joining to accomplish peace. Organizations worldwide, in alliance with HWPL as peace solidarity, urge Iran and Israel to put a stop to the acts of aggression immediately and to come forward for conversations to usher in peace.
We recommend that the international community take necessary measures to facilitate the formation of amicable relations between the two nations and provide humanitarian aid. It would be reasonable for all countries to support an international legal instrument for peace that embodies the long-yearned path to peace and to comply with its contents so that we leave a legacy of peace for future generations. HWPL will not spare its efforts for peace and cessation of wars.
April 2024
HWPL Chairman Lee Man-hee
The HWPL Global Family of Peace