Rights of children/Pal statement- GA Third Cttee debate – Summary record (excerpts)

Third Committee 

Summary record of the 19th meeting 

Held at Headquarters, New York, on Monday, 17 October 2011, at 10 a.m. 

 Chair:  Mr. Haniff Hussein  ……………………………………………………………..  (Malaysia) 

Contents 

Agenda item 65: Promotion and protection of the rights of children (continued) 

1.  Mr. Zeidan (Observer for Palestine) said that, due to the continuing Israeli occupation, there had been little progress towards achieving children’s rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. Palestinian children had been killed, and hundreds had been illegally imprisoned and detained. Homes were raided at night, and children were seized and photographed in so-called mapping exercises.

2.  Demolitions and evictions left Palestinian children homeless, and the destruction of roads leading to schools had an impact on children’s access to school and on their safety. A primary school for the Bedouin community near Jerusalem and a kindergarten in the northern part of the West Bank had received demolition orders. In one village, 97 per cent of the structures had received demolition orders, including homes, the mosque and the village’s sole medical centre.

3.  The number of lethal and violent attacks by settlers against Palestinians, including children, had increased. Recently, an Israeli settler had intentionally struck and run over an eight-year-old boy, with utter impunity. 

4.  Children living in the Gaza Strip endured the harsh consequences of Israel’s illegal blockade. Freedom of movement was violated, and access to essential supplies was denied. Palestinian children were awakened by the sound of Israeli warplanes firing indiscriminately on their villages and towns. Israel was deliberately delaying reconstruction of schools destroyed in 2008 and 2009. The international community should hold Israeli forces accountable for crimes committed against Palestinian children.

/…

The meeting rose at 1 p.m. 

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