NEW HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ADDRESSES OPENING
OF THE TWENTY-SEVENTH SESSION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
Council Holds General Debate on the Annual Report of the High Commissioner and Reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General
8 September 2014
The Human Rights Council this morning opened its twenty-seventh regular session, hearing an update from the new United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, on the activities of his Office and latest developments in human rights, followed by a general debate.
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In the general debate that followed…the international community must discharge its responsibility to guarantee the right of Palestinians to self-determination…
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Iran, speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement…condemned widespread and systematic violations perpetrated against Palestinians as a result of Israel’s military aggression.
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Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation…strongly condemned the confiscation of lands in the Occupied Palestinian Territories by the Israeli authorities.
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United Arab Emirates, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, said…The Arab Group strongly condemned Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian and Arab territories.
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Saudi Arabia…called on the international community to show ample courage in the protection of the rights of the Palestinian people.
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South Africa…stressed that the international community must discharge its responsibility to guarantee the right of Palestinians to self-determination…
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Pakistan…deplored the recent brutal use of force against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
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Egypt…agreed that all violations against the Palestinian people had to be addressed.
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Oman underlined the importance of addressing the main humanitarian concerns worldwide, and in particular the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The reprehensible military attack on Gaza recently had left destruction and death and did not reflect a real desire by Israel for a peaceful solution.
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Iran said the recent strikes on Gaza by the military machinery of the Israeli regime had created an unprecedented horrific human tragedy for more than 48 days. What had occurred in the Palestinian occupied territories, in particular in Gaza, during the past six decades met all criteria to be called a genocide, a war crime, ethnic cleaning, and a crime against humanity
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Jordan…The latest Israeli aggression in Gaza constituted a gross violation of international human rights and humanitarian law. Jordan condemned the illegal and illegitimate policy of Israel regarding the blockade, the confiscation of Palestinian territories and in other areas.
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Bangladesh underlined the importance of cooperating with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and shared the concerns of the High Commissioner about continued human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories…
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Lebanon said the Palestinian issue for some 60 years had been an open wound. The people of Gaza suffered enormously from the Israeli attacks – the occupying power had no respect for basic human rights. Iraq suffered from systematic and atrocious crimes commensurate with crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Islamic State.
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International Federation for Human Rights…Tangible and effective accountability for gross violations and abuses was a vital necessity also in Ukraine and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
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Cairo institute for Human Rights Studies said that this was a critical and perilous time for the human rights movements in the Arab world, characterized by increasing restrictions and repressions of rights defenders. The humanitarian and human rights catastrophes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Syria, Iraq, and Libya were the bi-product of decades of brutal repression and unchecked corruption carried out by State institutions.
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For use of the information media; not an official record
HRC14/107E
Document Type: Press Release, Report, Secretary-General Report, Statement
Document Sources: Human Rights Council, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG)
Subject: Armed conflict, Gaza Strip, Human rights and international humanitarian law, Inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, Incursions, Legal issues, Living conditions, NGOs/Civil Society, Occupation, Peace process, Population, Protection, Refugees and displaced persons, Security issues, Self-determination, Settlements, Situation in the OPT including Jerusalem, Statehood-related
Publication Date: 08/09/2014