By Katya Talya
INTRODUCTION
International lawyer Amal Alamuddin Clooney is a well-known human rights activist; however, a lesser-known fact is that she is also a Lebanese Druze. Amid this ongoing, global human rights crisis, her selective advocacy continues to raise questions, particularly regarding her silence on the recent Hezbollah attack which claimed the lives of 12 Druze children, severely affecting her own Druze community.
Hezbollah, (translated as “party of god”) is a radical extremist, terrorist group operating primarily in Lebanon, that has committed numerous atrocities against the Druze people. Despite her work with minority ethnic groups, and more personally, having Lebanese roots and a Druze background herself, Clooney has yet to publicly condemn the attack or call for justice for those so brutally targeted.
Amal Alamuddin, born to a Druze Lebanese father, her mother, a Sunni Muslim from Lebanon, fled Lebanon to escape the Lebanese Civil War when Amal was only two years old and settled in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, in the United Kingdom.
She has repeatedly referred to herself as a refugee, which has undoubtedly deeply influenced Clooney’s work, driving her commitment to advocating for the rights of refugees and oppressed populations worldwide. However, her selective approach clearly snubs certain vulnerable groups also desperately in need of attention and support.
The Druze Community: Between Hezbollah and Israel
The Druze are an Arabic-speaking ethno-religious group who follow the Druze faith, and they primarily reside in Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. Majdal Shams, a town on the Golan Heights, was once under Syrian rule until the famous 1967, 6-day war. After the 6-day war, this disputed land is now an intrinsic part of the State of Israel.
The Druze living in Israel are fiercely loyal to the Israeli government and are also serving in the IDF by choice. They have and exercise all the civil rights of every Israeli citizen. Part of the ethos of the Druze people is to be loyal to the country where they are currently residing which they have beautifully adhered to, being some of the strongest fighters and advocates of Israel.
While the Druze community has enjoyed the freedom to live by and practice their religious beliefs in Israel freely, their counterparts in Lebanon have been wrapped in civil unrest between the numerous religious fractions that exist within Lebanon’s torn borders, leaving them to hold a small minority estimated as low as 5.2 percent.
In Lebanon as in Syria, the Druze people are caught in the crossfire of the Iran-Saudi rivalry and the Sunni-Shiite divide.
Consequently, they face threats from both Shi’a and Sunni Muslims in these regions.
The Inconsistency that is Amal Clooney’s Activism
Clooney recently stated, “As a human rights lawyer, I will never accept that one child’s life has less value than another’s”. Let’s explore this statement for accuracy.
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Ignoring Hezbollah’s Atrocities
Amal Clooney has not publicly condemned Hezbollah’s atrocities or advocated for the affected Druze in Lebanon. Despite her active role in human rights advocacy for minority ethnic groups, and her involvement with the International Criminal Court (ICC), there is no record of her addressing the specific targeting of Druze communities by Hezbollah which includes children.
This raises the question: why is this minority group not deemed worthy of her or the world’s attention as a community suffering severe human rights violations?
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Neglect of Human Rights Violations in Israel
Furthermore, there is no record of Clooney addressing the human rights violations in Israel on October 7th by Hamas, where the murder, rape, dismemberment, and burning of women, children, babies, and the indiscriminate killing and torture of all ages and genders has been documented, and even boasted by the terrorist organization.
To this day, 115 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza which also includes women and children. There have been multiple reports of sexual violence, rape, and torture, let alone unhuman conditions. From which unbiased viewpoint does this not constitute a gross human and woman’s rights violation?
Most recently, twelve Druze children, brutally murdered in a Hezbollah rocket strike on a soccer field in Majdal Shams, inside Israel’s borders, and Israel is again met with silence.
Is the life of an Israeli baby, child, woman, or any Israeli citizen considered less valuable than others – and a Druze child? Where do they stand in the spectrum of human rights deserving outrage and action from activists?
The ICC and Its Handling of World Leaders
I feel it’s safe to say that ICC has little influence on the world stage, and its authority is more than questionable.
On 17 March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of unlawfully deporting children, and other war-related crimes during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War.
While this is indeed a lawful ruling, Putin has yet to throw himself at the mercy of this Criminal Court, and we can expect other such rulings to follow suit.
Although its impact is severely debatable, I advocate for justice against Hassan Nasrallah!
Conclusion
Amal Clooney’s partial advocacy raises critical questions about her commitment to actual human rights. Clooney’s omission of these issues, despite her powerful platform, begs a need for a better, more comprehensive, and impartial approach to human rights advocacy globally.
Her silence (among other prominent public figures in this space) not only undermines their credibility but also leaves vulnerable communities lacking a powerful, or any advocate.
This one belonged to you, Amal!