Urgent World Habitat Day Appeal: End Israeli Occupation and Criminalise Domicide

Global Crisis of Housing Rights Violations in Palestine and Lebanon

07/10/2024

As the United Nations marks World Habitat Day on October 7, we are encouraged to “reflect on the state of towns and cities, and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter.” Coincidentally this day also marks a grim reality: a full year of relentless domicide by the Israeli State against the Palestinian people.

The UN Special Rapporteur himself defined domicide as “the massive arbitrary destruction of civilian housing in violence conflict,” calling for it to be recognised as a crime under international law. Never has this been more urgent than now. Over the past 365 days, Israel has destroyed 66% of buildings in Gaza; displaced 90% of its population and killed 41,909 people to date. This abhorrent domicide is not limited to Palestine; in recent weeks, it has escalated in Lebanon, displacing over one million people—one-fifth of the entire population—from Southern areas like Bekaa and Hermel, all the way to Beirut.

Meanwhile, local groups and activists reading of the housing crisis – with demands that should be raised at the international level – are often silenced, disregarded or overshadowed by charters and plans that decontextualize our painful reality.

The past year has been devastating for housing rights in Palestine and Lebanon, as the State of Israel has waged what many describe as a genocidal war, committing severe violations through their systematic destruction of homes, infrastructure and communities. The complicity of international governments, either through weapon supplies, oil and fuel shipments, political support, or general inaction must stop. State occupation and violence has been unjustly legitimised for far too long and has allowed Israel to escalate its settler violence across the region.

We, the Housing Justice Network, stand united in our collective commitment to liberate the land and confront housing injustice and domicide in Palestine and Lebano

Domicide as a Weapon of War: Unravelling the Ongoing Crisis in Palestine and Lebanon

The systematic targeting of homes and civilian infrastructure in both Lebanon and Palestine constitutes a grave violation of housing rights as outlined in international human rights law. The right to adequate housing encompasses more than just physical shelter; it includes the right to security of tenure, availability of services, and protection against forced evictions. When homes are deliberately destroyed through military actions, extended families are being killed and waves of undignified mass displacements occur, affecting not only the targeted homes and their vicinities, but also the population as a whole.

The genocide in Gaza has destroyed 66% (163,778) of total structures and killed 41,909 Palestinians to date. Almost 100,000 have been wounded and another 11,000 people are unaccounted for and presumed dead, while 2.1 million residents have been displaced. As the figures increase, every single person killed, wounded or displaced has been denied not just their right to shelter but with it, their right to safety, security and a future. This dislodgement leads to cycles of trauma and vulnerability, which is exactly the intention of the Israeli State’s campaign of domicide.

Domicide involves not only the physical demolition of structures but also the emotional and psychological impact on individuals and families. In both Lebanon and Palestine, the systematic targeting of housing and resources is not merely a series of military actions; it is part of a larger colonial context wherein the State of Israel continues to deny individuals their rights to peace, dignity, and self-determination. Systematic destruction and displacement sever people’s connection with their land, culture, and heritage. The tactic of exerting control and instilling fear by the Israeli occupation is a pretext for appropriating land and resources, stripping the population from any meaningful recovery paths.

The State of Israel has been allowed to act with impunity. If you legitimise a colonial settler’s actions, they will keep escalating. Israel has targeted Lebanon since October 2023 and even before the escalation in September 2024, the war had already ravaged 184 towns, killed over 100 civilians, and destroyed over 462 hectares of forests and agricultural lands (July 2024). The violence significantly escalated last month, with September 23 marking one of the bloodiest days in the 21st century for Lebanon, resulting in 600 fatalities in a single day. (September 2024)

As of October, 303 towns have now been targeted by Israeli bombardments. Its attacks on healthcare and emergency infrastructure have been severe, with 120 health workers killed, 130 wounded, and 45 health facilities targeted. Additionally, 96 primary healthcare centres have closed due to bombardment. More than 12 hospitals were directly targeted, with 4 completely out of service and 2 partially functioning. Israel has also targeted 122 ambulances. The destruction of healthcare infrastructure is especially alarming as the escalation in violence has led to a dramatic increase in casualties, with 1,295 people killed and 4,030 wounded as of September, rising to 2,061 deaths and 9,749 injuries in October. These numbers do not account for those still buried under rubble due to relentless shelling.

The intensity of these attacks has devastated residential neighbourhoods and essential infrastructure, leading to the widespread displacement of 1 million people, including many Syrian refugees who sought refuge in South Lebanon from their own war. There is something deeply unjust when the country currently hosting the largest number of refugees per capita in the world is undergoing such severe attacks leading to traumatic cycles of re-displacement.

The path towards justice for Palestine and Lebanon goes beyond a ceasefire. We must actively dismantle the structures of oppression that continue to marginalise these communities, while sincerely promoting self-determination.

Urgent Measures for Justice, Reconstruction, and Self-Determination

On World Habitat Day, we call upon the international community to take immediate and concerted action to go beyond a ceasefire and address these housing rights violations and domicide. We urge:

Newly appointed Executive Director of UN-Habitat and housing rights compatriot Anacláudia Rossbach to speak out on domicide on World Habitat Day and advocate vocally for its criminalisation.
End the use of housing as a weapon of war: Governments and international organisations must take immediate action against the deliberate targeting of homes and civilian infrastructure, either through legal mechanisms or sanctions.
Recognise Domicide as a crime against humanity: States should move to criminalise the massive, arbitrary destruction of civilian housing, in both war, as well as non-participatory urban redevelopment schemes that result in the mass eviction of communities and destruction of their homes.
Accountability and Justice: An independent international investigation into the actions of all state parties involved in the war, focusing on the provision of weapons, violations of housing rights and the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure. There must be a sense of recourse for such crimes.
Right to Return for Displaced Families: Displaced individuals must be allowed to return to their homes with restored property or land rights so they can rebuild. This involves the enforcement of UN Resolution 194.
Create International Housing Reconstruction Funds: International funding mechanisms should be created to finance the reconstruction of destroyed homes and infrastructure. Sustainable, affordable and safe homes should be prioritised.
Local Ownership & Self-Determination in Reconstruction: Reconstruction efforts must be locally led with communities having full ownership over their land and resources.
Promote and maintain housing rights: With rebuilding, comes new national and international housing policies and strategies. All housing legislation must align with international human rights frameworks; priorities affordability; address housing inequities felt by those displaced or affected by the violence; and create legal safeguards to prevent communities’ unjust evictions.

The theme of the first World Habitat Day celebrated in 1986 was “Shelter is My Right.” We at the Housing Justice Network ask you to reaffirm your commitment to uphold that right for all individuals, irrespective of their ethnicity, religion, gender or race. Every year we are reminded of our collective responsibility for the future of human habitat. If we allow this campaign of domicide to persist, it will create a perilous precedent for housing rights globally and jeopardies that future.

We stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine and Lebanon and call for urgent action to uphold their right to dignity, justice and freedom.

Signed:

Housing Justice Network (HJN)
We are independent, grassroots housing rights organizations united across Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Sudan, and Turkey to fight for justice in housing and land rights. Our mission is clear: to untangle the deep-rooted injustices driving housing inequality—whether it’s the commodification of land, rampant financial speculation, the anguish of forced evictions, or the systemic injustices wrought by settler colonialism and occupation. Together, through advocacy, design, and research, we push for real change in policies and structures to create inclusive cities where the right to housing is a reality for all.