A Declaration of Human Rights? Shame on Us.

 

14 They have treated the wound of my people carelessly,
    saying, “Peace, peace,”
    when there is no peace.
15 They acted shamefully; they committed abomination,
    yet they were not ashamed;
    they did not know how to blush.

                  Jeremiah 6: 14-15 NRSVue

This past Sunday marked the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The United Nations website describes the declaration in this way: 

This landmark document enshrines the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being - regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

The Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 and sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected.  

Available in more than 500 languages, it is the most translated document in the world.

Shall we all ponder this human rights document as a resolution to declare a ceasefire in Gaza is destined to fail in the United Nations today? Not only will Israel not comply, the United States and Great Britain and Canada will choose not to support it. The latter three nations have millions of citizens who claim to be Christians and want their governments to be more vocal about being Christian. In a couple of weeks we will celebrate the birth of Jesus, born in what is now the West Bank. Yet we have stood by while thousands of civilians have died during the Israeli offensive in Gaza. and more in the West Bank. Much of the weaponry being used by the IDF has been supplied by the United States. 

Here's what we know so far: at least 18,000 Gazans have died with another 8.000 missing, probably buried in the rubble. Roughly 8,000 of the dead are children and thousands more have been injured, many maimed for life. 

Some people wonder why Gazans haven't voted against Hamas, the terrorist organization which carried out horrible atrocities against Israeli citizens on October 7th. It has been pointed out that the last election in Gaza was 17 years ago, which means that two thirds of the current population was either ineligble to vote then, or hadn't been born. In 2006 only 45 percent of Gazans voted for Hamas. so by my math only about 15% of the population today cast a vote for an organization which has become increasingly militant over time.

I am outraged by this carnage, sorrowful, and its certainly not because I'm anti-Jewish or anti-semitic. I abhore the rise in anti-semitic hate crimes in our country and elsewhere. I am pro-child and anti-atrocity, whoever may be caring it out.  Where is the leadership of the supposed democracies which have their own human rights charters? 

Dignity, Freedom & Justice for all? Shame, shame, shame.