{"id":240454,"date":"2020-10-15T20:33:46","date_gmt":"2020-10-16T00:33:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=240454"},"modified":"2020-10-21T21:04:41","modified_gmt":"2020-10-22T01:04:41","slug":"call-for-end-to-israels-impunity-in-opt-as-fourth-committee-special-political-and-decolonization-continues-joint-general-debate-press-release-ga-spd-718-excerpts","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/call-for-end-to-israels-impunity-in-opt-as-fourth-committee-special-political-and-decolonization-continues-joint-general-debate-press-release-ga-spd-718-excerpts\/","title":{"rendered":"Call for End to Israel’s Impunity in oPt as Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) Continues Joint General Debate – Press Release (GA\/SPD\/718) (Excerpts)"},"content":{"rendered":"
SEVENTY-FIFTH SESSION,<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>3RD MEETING (PM)<\/strong>
\nGA\/SPD\/718<\/strong>
\n15 OCTOBER 2020<\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/h6>\n

Fran\u00e7ais\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

As the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its joint general debate, some speakers urged the Organization to fulfil its commitment to decolonization at the close of another United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, while others called for an end to Israel\u2019s impunity in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.<\/p>\n

\/…<\/p>\n

Several delegates decried Israeli activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, with Lebanon\u2019s representative stressing that the people of the Gaza Strip continue to suffer in unliveable conditions.\u00a0 Meanwhile, Palestinians living in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, endure restrictions on movement, continued expansion of Israeli settlements, settler violence, excessive use of force by Israel\u2019s security forces and house demolitions, he said.\u00a0 Describing such policies as a clear breach of international law and international human rights law and in violation of Israel\u2019s obligation as the occupying Power, he called upon the international community to pressure that country to refrain from such violations and to end its occupation.<\/p>\n

The observer for the State of Palestine declared: \u00a0\u201cAllowing Israel to continue getting away with its crimes without consequence will never lead to change.\u201d\u00a0 Those who believe that Israel has actually suspended or ceased its annexation plans are ignoring the reality of what is actually happening on the ground, she cautioned.\u00a0 Collective action, in line with international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions, is the only way to chart a more just reality, she emphasized.\u00a0 That must include legal action, including at the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, she said.\u00a0 \u201cStopping Israeli impunity is as much about salvaging the prospects for just Palestinian-Israeli peace as it is about salvaging the international rules-based order, which has been so damaged and destabilized by the culture of impunity that has been permitted for far too long to our collective detriment and peril.\u201d<\/p>\n

\/…<\/p>\n

The representative of\u00a0Thailand<\/u>, associating himself with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Non-Aligned Movement,…Turning to the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), he highlighted his country\u2019s commitment to the multi-year pledge of voluntary contributions to the Agency for 2017-2021 amounting to\u00a0$200,000. \u00a0Thailand pledged an additional\u00a0$30,000 at the Extraordinary Virtual Ministerial Pledging Conference in June, he recalled.<\/p>\n

\/…<\/p>\n

The observer for the\u00a0State of Palestine<\/u>\u00a0noted that the support of the international community has allowed UNRWA to continuously provide Palestine refugees with education, health-care, relief, social and protection services.\u00a0 \u201cWhile tending to humanitarian and human development needs, UNRWA also continues to provide a measure of hope to the refugees, at times life-saving and transformative, especially for youth.\u201d\u00a0 The Agency is also widely recognized for its distinct contribution to stability, in both the refugee camps and host communities, a critical role against the backdrop of pervasive regional turmoil and emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.\u00a0 Given the prevailing financial challenges faced by the United Nations and donor countries, additional United Nations budgetary support to help cover essential UNRWA\u2019s operational expenses should be seriously considered, she suggested.\u00a0 Such a contribution would be a tangible investment in regional stability, the long-term goal of peace and an end to the unravelling of the progress made in implementing the 2030\u00a0Agenda.<\/p>\n

It is difficult to understand how the Assembly can accept that UNRWA\u2019s mandate be so blatantly politicized, she continued, rejecting distorted narratives and attacks against the Agency aimed at negating the status and rights of Palestine refugees.\u00a0 Those rights are not diminished by the passage of time, she stressed.\u00a0 In that regard, she pointed out that Israeli measures to obstruct or terminate UNRWA\u2019s operations in occupied East Jerusalem are in violation of international law, the Comay-Michelmore Agreement, the Convention on Privileges and Immunities and relevant resolutions.\u00a0 Turning to the report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices, she noted that it corroborates reporting by numerous international, Palestinian and Israeli groups, United Nations agencies, academic and legal scholars. \u00a0\u201cTo those claiming that \u2018the same old methods won\u2019t work’, we say \u2014 indeed,\u201d she said, adding: \u00a0\u201cAllowing Israel to continue getting away with its crimes without consequence will never lead to change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those who believe that Israel has actually suspended or ceased its annexation plans are ignoring the reality of what is actually happening on the ground, she cautioned. \u00a0Moreover, Israel persists in its construction of the separation wall, confiscation of Palestinian land, exploitation of natural resources, excavations under holy sites, and violations of the historic status quo at Al-Haram Al Sharif.\u00a0 Collective action, in line with international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions, is the only way to chart a more just reality, she stressed.\u00a0 It must include legal action, including in the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, and other lawful countermeasures to confront Israel\u2019s violations and compel compliance with the law, she added.\u00a0 Turning to the banning of products from Israeli settlements, she described it as a basic and minimal \u201cask\u201d and an obligation to ensure that agreements between any State and the State of Israel do not include the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.\u00a0 She declared: \u00a0\u201cStopping Israeli impunity is as much about salvaging the prospects for just Palestinian-Israeli peace, as it is about salvaging the international rules-based order, which has been so damaged and destabilized by the culture of impunity that has been permitted for far too long to our collective detriment and peril.\u201d<\/p>\n

\/…<\/p>\n

The representative of\u00a0Lebanon<\/u>,…Turning to the work of UNRWA, he said it is especially essential now due to deteriorating socioeconomic conditions and instability in the Middle East that are further aggravated by the pandemic. \u00a0Refugees across the region are becoming more reliant on UNRWA for basic services, he noted, emphasizing the Agency\u2019s need for predictable, sustainable financing of its programme budget. \u00a0It is the international community\u2019s responsibility to ensure that services are maintained by providing multi-year contributions, he said. \u00a0As for the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, he said the people of the Gaza Strip continue to suffer in unliveable conditions. \u00a0Meanwhile, Palestinians living in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, endure restrictions on their movement, continued expansion of Israeli settlements, settler violence, excessive use of force by Israel\u2019s security forces and house demolitions. \u00a0Such policies are a clear breach of international law and international human rights law and in violation of Israel\u2019s obligation as an occupying Power, he affirmed, stressing that the international community must pressure Israel to refrain from such violations and end its occupation.<\/p>\n

\/…<\/p>\n

For information media. Not an official record.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SEVENTY-FIFTH SESSION,\u00a03RD MEETING (PM) GA\/SPD\/718 15 OCTOBER 2020 Fran\u00e7ais\u00a0 As the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its joint general debate, some speakers urged the Organization to fulfil its commitment to decolonization at the close of another United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, while others called for an end to Israel\u2019s impunity […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":172,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"template-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[1329],"document-source":[1365,5618,1817],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[2849,1945,2005,2349,1745],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6541],"class_list":["post-240454","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-press-release","document-source-general-assembly","document-source-general-assembly-fourth-committee-special-political-and-decolonization","document-source-united-nations-relief-and-works-agency-for-palestine-refugees-in-the-near-east-unrwa","document-subject-annexation","document-subject-assistance","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-living-conditions","document-subject-refugees-and-displaced-persons","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-french"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/240454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/172"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/240454\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=240454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=240454"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=240454"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=240454"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=240454"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=240454"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=240454"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=240454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}