This weekend, the President of the United States publicly threatened critical civilian infrastructure in Iran, including power plants and bridges. Israel has today issued warnings affecting train infrastructure, effectively placing civilian transport systems at risk. Civilian infrastructure is protected under international law, and any attack will constitute a serious violation. Even without action, normalising these threats by state actors against systems essential to civilian life erodes the very foundations of these legal protections.
Dr Naomi Green, Assistant Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain says: “As a signatory to the Geneva Conventions, the Foreign Affairs Secretary Yvette Cooper and the UK government has a legal obligation not only to uphold but to actively ensure respect for international humanitarian law. After two years of genocide in Gaza, the invasion of Lebanon and attacks on Iran, the UK can no longer be passive or complicit aids in war.
The UK must take a clear and principled stance: to protect civilians, to prevent further harm. This includes urgently suspending the use of UK military bases, airspace, or logistical support that may be used to facilitate these attacks, to ensure it is not enabling actions that undermine the very laws it is bound to uphold.”
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[PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash Saifee Art]