Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard has declared that the West lost its moral and political credibility 19 months ago due to its response to the ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Responding to recent remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron, Callamard emphasized that regaining credibility will require decisive, not rhetorical, action—especially regarding Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
Amnesty laid out six key recommendations for restoring the West’s global standing:
- Recognize and name the crime of genocide in Gaza.
- Halt all arms transfers to Israel.
- Suspend the European Union-Israel agreement.
- Enforce International Court of Justice rulings related to Israel’s occupation.
- Uphold International Criminal Court arrest warrants, including those issued for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant.
- Pursue universal jurisdiction to prosecute war crimes, and ensure the release of all hostages and detainees held by both Hamas and Israel.
Callamard accused Western powers of either complicity or silence in the face of widespread human rights violations. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, over 54,000 Palestinians—mostly women and children—have been killed and more than 124,000 injured during Israel’s prolonged military campaign.
