Human rights organisations have criticised the framework agreement signed between Israel and Lebanon last month, warning that it risks denying justice to victims of alleged war crimes committed during the conflict.
In a joint statement, the groups said the deal “threatens to betray war crimes victims in Lebanon” by including provisions that could undermine accountability for serious violations of international law.
According to Human Rights Watch, parts of the agreement appear designed to prevent victims of serious international crimes from pursuing justice through international legal forums. The organisation also expressed concern that the text effectively accepts the prolonged and potentially indefinite forced displacement of tens of thousands of residents from large areas of southern Lebanon that remain under Israeli occupation.
Israel and Lebanon signed the US-brokered framework agreement on June 26 with the stated objective of restoring the Lebanese state’s authority through the deployment of the Lebanese army and facilitating the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.
Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard said civilians in Lebanon have repeatedly borne the consequences of successive rounds of conflict, while those responsible for serious violations and crimes under international law have continued to evade accountability.
She stressed that victims of war crimes and other human rights violations deserve justice, adding that any agreement that does not place their rights to justice, accountability and reparations at its centre risks collapsing under the very culture of impunity it reinforces.