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To Secretary of State Blinken: Repatriating Israeli Captives Is a Basic Humanitarian Right under International Conventions
(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Amb. Alan Baker - During discussions in Washington on Aug. 27, Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the surprising observation that the return of the Israeli captives should not be a prerequisite for enabling the passage of fuel and electricity into Gaza. This position runs counter to all accepted humanitarian norms including the 2006 International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and UN Security Council Resolution 2474 of 2019, which called on parties to armed conflict to unconditionally return missing soldiers and civilians. One might hope that Secretary Blinken will be correctly briefed by his advisors as to the genuine, internationally accepted humanitarian priorities, and will refrain from sanctioning a false and dual standard regarding Israel's missing civilians and remains of its soldiers. The writer, former legal adviser to the Israel Foreign Ministry, heads the International Law Program at the Jerusalem Center.