In light of the devastating and ongoing violence against Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and the continued exchange of rocket attacks, we reiterate our call for an immediate ceasefire and unequivocal condemnation of the killing of civilians.
Given the ongoing siege of Gaza, we urge all parties to immediately open and secure humanitarian corridors to enable the provision of basic and essential needs of the Palestinian people.
Principles only have meaning if applied equally to all people in all situations. For the millions of concerned and horrified observers, selective empathy is the path to permanent conflict and ultimately degrades the humanity of all of us. The atrocities underway are abhorrent and must end immediately.
This statement is accurate as of October 14, 2pm ET
Original Statement from Search for Common Ground on October 8, 8am ET
The outbreak of war triggered by Hamas’s widespread, coordinated attacks from Gaza inside Israel is more than simply the latest round in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Prior to the current violence, 2023 was already the deadliest year in decades of this conflict. Now, in the past 24 hours alone, hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians have been killed, thousands more wounded, and dozens taken as hostages in what we fear is only the beginning of a war that will result in unprecedented violence and devastation between Israel and Hamas, in which civilians are already the primary victims.
Search for Common Ground condemns violence against civilians anywhere in the world. As we write this statement, Israeli civilians are sheltering in place from armed gunmen and thousands of missile attacks on Israeli towns and cities while Palestinian civilians are sheltering from on-going missile attacks and dreading a massive invasion of Israeli troops.
In recent years, we have witnessed significant diplomatic efforts between Israel and multiple countries across the Middle East with support from major powers around the world. These interested and influential parties should apply all of their efforts toward the urgent priority of securing a ceasefire immediately, ensuring the protection of Israeli and Palestinian civilians, preventing other state and non-state actors in the region from escalating violence, and working uncompromisingly toward a new reality in which international law and human rights for all are respected. These are the steps that can finally break the cycle of violence in this conflict so that every Israeli and Palestinian can live in peace and dignity.
