Based on the presentation of Ubai Aboudi at the UAI General Assembly
In his stark and urgent presentation to the UAI General Assembly, Ubai Aboudi, Director of the Bisan Center for Research and Development, offered a devastating assessment of the situation facing Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
A Ceasefire in Name Only
Aboudi opened by rejecting the notion that the recent “ceasefire” represents any real relief. Since its announcement:
- 440 Palestinians have been killed
- Starvation remains widespread
- Medical supplies are blocked
- Reconstruction is impossible, as no building materials are permitted in
Gaza remains physically uninhabitable: flooded camps, destroyed infrastructure, and nearly two million people confined to less than half the territory.
Only 20% of daily essential goods are allowed in—a level Aboudi described as structurally engineered humanitarian deprivation.
The West Bank: A Silent Catastrophe
While global media attention is fixed on Gaza, the West Bank has suffered:
- 28 entire communities displaced since late 2023
- Over 30,000 people forcibly uprooted
- Settler attacks carried out with total impunity
- Collapse of the public sector, including health and education
The Palestinian Authority cannot pay its workers, as Israel withholds tax revenues. Schools operate sporadically; medical facilities are running out of essential medicines.
Unemployment has soared above 35%. Poverty is now at 70%.
A System of Brutal Dehumanization
Aboudi detailed:
- Widespread torture of detainees
- Sexual violence against both male and female prisoners
- Over 70 deaths under torture in Israeli detention since October 2023
- A carceral system so pervasive that one in two Palestinian men has been detained at some point in his life
This, he argued, is the essence of the Israeli system: a structure built to break Palestinian society socially, economically, politically, and physically.
Impunity as Policy
Aboudi highlighted a startling statistic from an Israeli Freedom of Information request:
- More than 470 complaints were filed by Palestinians against settlers for violent attacks.
- Zero settlers were prosecuted.
This total impunity is not an accident; it is a deliberate feature of the system, he said. Violence against Palestinians—whether by the state or by settlers—is systematically protected.
An Economy on the Brink
Perhaps the most alarming warning: banking relations between Palestinian and Israeli institutions are on the verge of collapse.
If these sever entirely, all imports—including food, medicine, and fuel—could stop.
This would trigger immediate economic freefall.
A Genocide in Progress
Aboudi was unequivocal: Palestinians are facing an ongoing genocide, one that is bureaucratically managed and normalized. Its purpose is to make Palestinian life unliveable. His closing message was a call for sustained, global civil engagement—to pressure governments, demand accountability, and counter the silence that enables the destruction of an entire people.
The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author of the presentation and do not necessarily represent the views of United Against Inhumanity (UAI).
