Israeli practices/SpCttee – SecGen report (GA Res.47/70 A)

REPORT OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE ISRAELI PRACTICES

AFFECTING THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AND OTHER

ARABS OF THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

Report of the Secretary-General

(In pursuance of General Assembly resolution 47/70 A)

1. The General Assembly, at its forty-seventh session, adopted resolutions 47/70 A to G of 14 December 1992 concerning the reports of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories (A/47/76, A/47/262 and A/47/509).  By its resolution 47/70 A, the Assembly, inter alia, deplored the continued refusal by Israel to allow the Special Committee access to the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and other Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967, and demanded that Israel allow the Special Committee access to those territories.

2. On 13 April 1993, the Secretary-General addressed a note verbale to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel, in which he requested, in view of his reporting responsibilities under the resolution, that the Minister inform him of any steps his Government had taken or envisaged taking concerning the implementation of the relevant provisions of the resolution.

3. No reply had been received at the time of the preparation of the present report.

4. In paragraph 15 of its resolution 47/70 A, the General Assembly reiterated its call upon all States and upon international organizations, including the specialized agencies, not to recognize any changes carried out by Israel, the occupying Power, in the occupied territories and to avoid actions, including those in the field of aid, that might be used by Israel in its pursuit of the policies of annexation and colonization or any of the other policies and practices referred to in the present resolution.

5. By notes verbales and letters dated 13 April 1993, the Secretary-General drew the attention of all States, in particular those States parties to the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, 1/ and of international organizations, including the specialized agencies, to paragraph 15 of the resolution.

6. Arrangements were made for the Special Committee to meet in January, April/May and August 1993 and to carry out a field mission to the Syrian Arab Republic, Jordan and Egypt in April/May 1993.  Two periodic reports and the twenty-fifth annual report of the Special Committee were circulated to Member States (A/48/96 dated 16 April 1993, A/48/278 dated 10 August 1993 and A/48/557 dated 27 October 1993).

7. In paragraph 21 (d) of its resolution 47/70 A, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to ensure the widest circulation of the reports of the Special Committee and of information regarding its activities and findings, by all means available, through the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat, and, where necessary, to reprint those reports of the Special Committee that are no longer available.

8. In response to paragraph 21 (d) of General Assembly resolution 47/70 A, the following activities were undertaken by the Department of Public Information, which:

(a) Continued to provide press coverage of all meetings of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories and the Commission on Human Rights;

(b) Continued to publish stories in the UN Chronicle quarterly magazine relating to Palestinian issues, including human rights of the Palestinian people;

(c) Covered various aspects of the question of Palestine and related issues in weekly radio news magazines and feature programmes.  Highlights of topics covered included the deportation of 400 Palestinians from the occupied Palestinian territory and related action by the Security Council and the Secretary-General, as well as initiatives taken by Arab States and population in the occupied territories, and the debate of the Commission on Human Rights on Israel's decision to deport the Palestinians.  The Department also produced a number of feature programmes devoted to the question of Palestine, including: "Assistance to the Palestinian People" and "International Protection of Palestinian Refugees";

(d) Continued to distribute its booklet published in 1992, Life of thePalestinians under Israeli Occupation (DPI/1192).  This booklet extensively used material available in reports of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories;

(e) Continued to feature and distribute United Nations information materials, documents and press releases on the question of Palestine to representatives of non-governmental organizations.  These included all documents disseminated by the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories;

(f) Publicized, both at Headquarters and through United Nations information centres, the 1993 mission to the Middle East of the Special Committee;

(g) Provided coverage of United Nations activities related to the question of Palestine on an ongoing basis by the network of the United Nations information centres and United Nations information services.  This coverage included the work of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories.

Notes

1/ United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75, No. 973.

—–

93-59504 (E)   081193