ETHNIC CLEANSING OF PALESTINIANS - ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW IN PROTECTING CIVILIANS.

Abstract

Today’s human rights violations are the causes of tomorrow’s conflicts, as rightly said by Mary Robinson. International humanitarian laws are praised more than ever and violated as much as ever. Ethnic cleansing and genocides, a systematic approach to remove religious groups are no doubt, the most common and severe of the crimes against human beings under the International Humanitarian Law and its failure to safeguard the victims is dreadful which in turn has led to this increased number of genocides we are encountering even in the modern era. The beginning of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict dates back to the 19th and early 20th century when Zionism was established as a political ideology and continues to have its existence to this very day. This research aims to bring the historical background and political aspects of the issue to light so the next time acts of barbarity of this nature are repeated we will have archival data to support the truth and existence of a place called Palestine. It examines the role of International Humanitarian Law and questions the very foundation of its actor in protecting the rights of the civilians and how it has atrociously failed in doing so. In this study the researcher has adopted the Library-based, Analytical and Mixed Method (Qualitative and Quantitative approach) to evaluate the part played by the codified laws in protecting the victims including a large number of women and children. This research shall provide a way forward, an analysis of violation of rights and legitimate ways of action that should be taken into consideration in order to eradicate inaction and protect the civilians because the conflict on which the study is based, ought to be repeated as long as actions are taken in the manner in which they have presently been taken.