Solidarity expressed for the Palestinian people – NGO statement (Int. Youth and Student Movement for the UN)

Written statement* submitted by the International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations, non-governmental organization in general consultative status

The Secretary-General has received the following written statement which is circulated in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31.

[22 July 2014]

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* This written statement is issued, unedited, in the language(s) received from the submitting non-governmental organization(s).

Solidarity with the People of Palestine

The ongoing Israeli acts of aggression, occupation, war crimes and crimes against humanity are taking place at a time of weakening of international solidarity with the People of Palestine, despite that the UN General Assembly has declared 2014 as the International Year of Solidarity with the People of Palestine.

Throughout the year the aggressor and occupier has been sent a signal of impunity through increased military, economic and other forms of collaboration by many states. The UN Human Rights machinery has been bullied to inaction and reduced attention has been given to the grave crimes committed by Israel.

We remain deeply concerned about the boycott of the deliberations under Item 7 on Palestinian rights during the recent four sessions of the Council by a group of countries that was instituted to comfort the occupying power and encourage it to end its boycott of the UPR. We wish to remind the Members of the Council that they agreed to keep the question of human rights in Palestine on their agenda until the illegal occupation is ended. Israel has succeeded to use its confrontation policies against the UN Human Rights system to exhort a sizeable ransom in exchange for its return to the

UPR process and the HRC. In fact it seems that an entire reward programme was instituted for the gross violator of international law whereby Israel is elected to symbolic leadership positions in the United Nations and admitted to a range of regional groups. To preserve the integrity and credibility of the Council this development should be halted.

It is time to make the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People a reality with a set of activities that will make the UN Human Rights machinery into an effective partner in the world campaign for solidarity with the People of Palestine that must now be intensified and accellerated.

We call on the Human Rights Council to compensate for the weakening of its attention to Palestinian Rights by designating its 27^th session as the 'Palestine Solidarity Session" which would include a panel debate on halting all forms of collaboration with the occupier which negatively affects Palestinian Rights and effective measures for solidarity with the Palestinian People.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights should be requested to establish a permanent mechanism for Palestinian Rights in her/his office equipped with sufficient resources for public outreach.

A commission of inquiry into the crimes committed by Israel in Gaza, in all the occupied territories and against the Palestinian People as a whole should be established by the Human Rights Council, which could include the Special Rapporteur.

The Special Rapporteur should be requested to provide a special report to the Human Rights Council on the alarming and aggravated situation for Palestinian Rights to be deliberated at its 27^th session.

We call on all regional and political groups to participate constructively under Item 7 in future sessions of the Council and all states that are not represented by regional and political groups to speak independently as Member States.