{"id":272909,"date":"2022-03-25T10:56:56","date_gmt":"2022-03-25T14:56:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=272909"},"modified":"2022-04-11T10:58:06","modified_gmt":"2022-04-11T14:58:06","slug":"special-rapporteur-on-the-situation-of-human-rights-in-opt-israel-has-imposed-upon-palestine-an-apartheid-reality-in-a-post-apartheid-world-press-release","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/special-rapporteur-on-the-situation-of-human-rights-in-opt-israel-has-imposed-upon-palestine-an-apartheid-reality-in-a-post-apartheid-world-press-release\/","title":{"rendered":"Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in OPT: Israel Has Imposed Upon Palestine an Apartheid Reality in a Post-apartheid World – Press Release"},"content":{"rendered":"

25 March 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n

Report<\/a><\/p>\n

The Human Rights Council this morning held an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967; heard the High Commissioner for Human Rights present reports of the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner on its agenda item seven on the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories; and then held a general debate on the agenda item.<\/p>\n

Michael Lynk, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, said the report<\/a> addressed the question as to whether Israel\u2019s acquisitive and repressive practices over the course of its 55-year-old regime had curdled from an endless occupation into something darker, harsher and more ominous.\u00a0 He had concluded that the political system of entrenched rule in the occupied Palestinian territory satisfied the prevailing evidentiary standard for the existence of apartheid.\u00a0 First, an institutionalised regime of systematic racial oppression and discrimination has been established.\u00a0 Second, this system of alien rule had been established with the intent to maintain the domination of one racial-national-ethnic group over another.\u00a0 And third, the imposition of this system of institutionalised discrimination with the intent of permanent domination had been built upon the regular practice of inhuman(e) acts.\u00a0 This was apartheid.\u00a0 With the eyes of the international community wide open, Israel had imposed upon Palestine an apartheid reality in a post-apartheid world.<\/p>\n

Israel was not present in the room to take the floor at a country concerned.<\/p>\n

State of Palestine, speaking as a country concerned, said that the apartheid laws approved by the Israeli Knesset, such as the Nationality Law, the Citizenship Law, the Anti-Terrorism Law, the Planning and Building Law, in addition to the Settlement Law and dozens of other laws, constituted a discriminatory legal system.\u00a0\u00a0The Israeli Head of Government and most of his Ministers had declared that they were against the establishment of the State of Palestine, they rejected any political negotiations and worked to continue and consolidate the de facto rule, which constituted an apartheid regime.\u00a0\u00a0This\u00a0was a crime against humanity as stipulated in international humanitarian law, as well in the Rome Statute and in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.<\/p>\n

In the ensuing interactive dialogue, speakers said that since the occupation, Israel\u2019s apartheid regime had been evident in its practices, such as land grabs and settlement establishment, with illegal demographic changes and strategic fragmentation of the territory.\u00a0 The occupying power continued to enjoy impunity.\u00a0 Israel had flagrantly violated its obligations under international law, depriving the Palestinian people from enjoying their inalienable rights, including the right to self-determination and the right of return.\u00a0 Israel was committing the crime of apartheid in the Palestinian territory, and this apartheid regime must be dismantled through all legal means.\u00a0 It was the duty of the international community to bring this deplorable situation to an end.\u00a0 The Palestinian people had the right to an independent, free and sovereign State, established as per the 1967 borders, and with East Jerusalem as its capital.<\/p>\n

Michelle Bachelet, High Commissioner for Human Rights, then presented\u00a0three reports under the Council\u2019s agenda item seven concerning the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories.\u00a0\u00a0She\u00a0began with the\u00a0fourteenth periodic report\u00a0on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions S-9\/1 and S-12\/1.\u00a0\u00a0This report addressed recurring violations of international humanitarian and human rights law by Israel and by Palestinian armed groups, as well as further violations of international human rights law by Israel, the State of Palestine and the de facto authorities in Gaza.\u00a0 The second report,\u00a0on\u00a0Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan noted that the expansion of settlements\u00a0persisted.\u00a0 The third report on\u00a0human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan\u00a0was based on information received from Member States.\u00a0\u00a0As a whole, the reports described the persistence of human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territory and in the occupied Syrian Golan, with a concerning lack of accountability.<\/p>\n

Israel was not present in the room to take the floor as a country concerned.<\/p>\n

State of Palestine, speaking as a country concerned, said it was evident that the occupying power\u2019s human rights violations had continued, namely house demolitions and attempts to expel people from various areas.\u00a0 There was continuous targeting of Palestinian civilians and children.\u00a0 These constituted extra-judicial killings, and there were daily attacks on demonstrators, abuse at checkpoints, and denial of movement for those requiring medical treatment.<\/p>\n

Syria, speaking as a country concerned, said the illegal settlement activities constituted the main source of many human rights violations: the occupying entity continued to expand settlements, confiscate lands, take natural resources, and install different populations in areas, in total contradiction of its international obligations, seeking to change the demographic make-up of the occupied Syrian Golan.\u00a0 Syria condemned the discriminatory practices of the Israeli occupation, and the violations of the basic rights of the people in the occupied Golan.<\/p>\n

In the general debate under agenda item seven on the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories, speakers said any attempts to undermine the agenda item would further erode the reliability of the United Nations system and normalise occupation in international norms.\u00a0 Israel\u2019s continued policies and practices had resulted in flagrant human rights violations and abuses, including brutalisation of children, torture, forcible transfers, and colonisation of land.\u00a0 Israel had no interest in achieving a just peace, and committed war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of apartheid.\u00a0 There should be an immediate lifting of the blockade on the Gaza Strip.\u00a0 The Human Rights Council had the ethical and legal obligation to act ethically and legally to protect the Palestinian people and address the situation as it strove to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms for all.\u00a0 A fully independent Palestinian State, with the pre-1967 borders, and with East Jerusalem as its capital, must be installed.<\/p>\n

Speaking in the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur were\u00a0Pakistan (on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation),\u00a0Morocco (on behalf of the Group of Arab States), Qatar, Indonesia, Iraq, Syria, Cuba, Venezuela, Namibia, China, Saudi Arabia,\u00a0Russian Federation, Malaysia, Kuwait, Yemen, Lebanon, Mauritania, South Africa, Bangladesh,\u00a0Turkey, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Tunisia, Algeria, Timor-Leste,\u00a0Jordan and\u00a0Iran.<\/p>\n

Also speaking were\u00a0Amnesty International,\u00a0Medical Aid for Palestinians,\u00a0Institute for NGO Research, Ingenieurs du monde,\u00a0Norwegian Refugee Council,\u00a0Palestinian Return Centre Ltd,\u00a0Al Meezaan Centre for Human Rights, and Palestine Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy.<\/p>\n

Speaking in the general debate were Pakistan (on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation),\u00a0C\u00f4te d’Ivoire (on behalf of Group of African States) Azerbaijan (on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement),\u00a0Saudi Arabia (on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council),\u00a0Morocco (on behalf of Group of Arab States), Qatar China, Venezuela,\u00a0Cuba,\u00a0Libya,\u00a0United Arab Emirates, Namibia, Senegal, Luxembourg, Pakistan,\u00a0Indonesia,\u00a0Malaysia,\u00a0Russian Federation, Mauritania, Sudan,\u00a0Mexico,\u00a0Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,\u00a0Egypt,\u00a0\u00a0Brunei Darussalam,\u00a0Iraq,\u00a0Nigeria,\u00a0Djibouti and\u00a0Maldives.<\/p>\n

The webcast of the Human Rights Council meetings can be found\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0 All meeting summaries can be found\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0 Documents and reports related to the Human Rights Council\u2019s forty-ninth regular session can be found\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Council will reconvene this afternoon at 3 p.m. to continue the general debate under agenda item seven followed by the general debate under agenda item eight on follow-up to and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.<\/p>\n

Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Occupied Since 1967<\/strong><\/p>\n

Documentation<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Council has before it the\u00a0report<\/a>\u00a0(A\/HRC\/49\/87) of the\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Presentation of Report<\/strong><\/p>\n

MICHAEL LYNK, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, said the past six years had been momentous with regards to developments in the occupied Palestinian territory. Alas, most of these developments had been disheartening and an affront to\u00a0 international human rights standards.\u00a0 There had been several periods of intense and destructive violence \u2013 with great loss of life and property \u2013 against the Palestinians under occupation by the Israeli military, particularly in Gaza during the Great March of Return in 2018, and the short explosive war on Gaza in May 2021. The Israeli occupation \u2013 now in its fifty-fifth year with its end nowhere in sight \u2013 had become ever more entrenched and repressive.\u00a0 In terms of Palestinian deaths at the hands of the Israeli military, 2021 was the deadliest year since 2014.\u00a0 The instances of settler violence towards Palestinians in 2021 was the highest level of recorded attacks since statistics were first assembled in 2012.\u00a0 And the demolition of Palestinian homes by the Israeli military has also been spiking continuously upwards.\u00a0 The Special Rapporteur said all must also recognise and condemn the deaths of innocent Israel civilians during this period \u2013 too much bloodshed on all sides of this occupation had been shed.<\/p>\n

The dedicated theme of the report addressed the question as to whether Israel\u2019s acquisitive and repressive practices over the course of its 55-year-old regime had curdled from an endless occupation into something darker, harsher and more ominous.\u00a0 Had this situation now transformed itself into apartheid?\u00a0 Applying the accepted three-part test taken from the 1973 United Nations Convention Against Apartheid, and the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the Special Rapporteur had concluded that the political system of entrenched rule in the occupied Palestinian territory satisfied the prevailing evidentiary standard for the existence of apartheid.\u00a0 First, an institutionalised regime of systematic racial oppression and discrimination had been established.\u00a0 Second, this system of alien rule had been established with the intent to maintain the domination of one racial-national-ethnic group over another.\u00a0 And third, the imposition of this system of institutionalised discrimination with the intent of permanent domination had been built upon the regular practice of inhuman(e) acts.\u00a0 This was apartheid.\u00a0 With the eyes of the international community wide open, Israel had imposed upon Palestine an apartheid reality in a post-apartheid world.<\/p>\n

Mr. Lynk said the Israeli settlements were illegal.\u00a0 Annexation was illegal.\u00a0 The denial of Palestinian self-determination was illegal.\u00a0 Human rights abuses were rife. The Fourth Geneva Convention applied in full.\u00a0 None of the countless United Nations resolutions had been obeyed, and nothing had been imposed on Israel to bring it into compliance with the rules-based international order.\u00a0 International law was not meant to be an umbrella that folded up at the first hint of rain.\u00a0 Had the international community accompanied these resolutions with resolute accountability and consistency decades ago \u2013 in the same way that it was doing today with the invasion and occupation of Ukraine \u2013 then there would have likely been a just and durable resolution to the question of Palestine many years ago, and no one would have to be talking about apartheid today.<\/p>\n

Statement by Country Concerned<\/strong><\/p>\n

Israel was not present in the room to take the floor as a country concerned.<\/p>\n

Palestine, speaking as a country concerned, said that the report reviewed a number of daily and continuous violations by the occupying power.\u00a0 It also referred to the physical separation between the territories of the occupied State of Palestine; Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem and briefly referred to the expropriation by the occupying power of natural resources and their use by settlers.\u00a0\u00a0Also mentioned were the racist laws that provided comprehensive rights and living conditions for Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, while imposing military rule and control on the Palestinians without any of the basic protections of international humanitarian law and human rights law.\u00a0\u00a0The apartheid laws approved by the Israeli Knesset, such as the Nationality Law, the Citizenship Law, the Anti-Terrorism Law, the Planning and Building Law, in addition to the Settlement Law and dozens of other laws, constituted a discriminatory legal system.<\/p>\n

The Israeli Head of Government and most of his Ministers had declared that they were against the establishment of the State of Palestine; they rejected any political negotiations and worked to continue and consolidate the de facto rule, which constituted an apartheid regime.\u00a0\u00a0This was a crime against humanity as stipulated in international humanitarian law, as well in the Rome Statute and in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.\u00a0 Israel, with its practices, had gone beyond the classic concept of apartheid – by imposing a system of colonial settlement and complete apartheid, which required the international community to pressure the occupying power to end its occupation, dismantle the apartheid regime against the Palestinian people, and prevent the provision of military aid to Israel.<\/p>\n

Discussion<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the ensuing interactive dialogue, speakers said that since the occupation, Israel\u2019s apartheid regime had been evident in its practices, such as land grabs and settlement establishment, with illegal demographic changes and strategic fragmentation of the territory.\u00a0 In the Gaza Strip, millions lived without access to health services.\u00a0 The occupying power continued to enjoy impunity.\u00a0 Israel had flagrantly violated its obligations under international law, depriving the Palestinian people from enjoying their inalienable rights, including the right to self-determination and the right of return.\u00a0 One of the most important examples of their policy was that since the occupation by Israel, the mass and grave expulsions, direct and secondary deportations and transfers of the population had continued, in violation of its obligations as an occupying power under international law.<\/p>\n

Some speakers said that Israel was committing the crime of apartheid in the Palestinian territory, and this apartheid regime must be dismantled through all legal means.\u00a0 The international community must hold Israel accountable, including through sanctions and supporting efforts to take Israel before the International Criminal Court.\u00a0 The continuing violations of the rights of Palestinian civilians was condemned, including structures of Palestinian-owned structures across the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem.\u00a0 The systematic oppression had led to the denial of the rights of millions.\u00a0 It was the duty of the international community to bring this deplorable situation to an end.\u00a0 The Palestinian people had the right to an independent, free and sovereign State, established as per the pre-1967 borders, and with East Jerusalem as its capital.<\/p>\n

All parties should implement the relevant United Nations resolutions.\u00a0 The violations of the rights of the Palestinian people showed Israel\u2019s disregard for international law and international humanitarian law.\u00a0 Its imposition of the apartheid regime against the defenceless Palestinian people had been manifest through many policies, including home demolitions and expansion of settlements.\u00a0 The colonial approach not only undermined their basic rights, but imposed fragmentation of Palestinian lands and demographic change.\u00a0 The international community must condemn and act to stop the crime of apartheid and achieve justice for the Palestinian people in their just cause, recognising an independent Palestinian State with Al-Quds Al Sharif as its capital.\u00a0 The amount of violence that Israel was using to maintain its colonisation was ever-growing.\u00a0 All were well aware of the long-term impacts of racism and discrimination upon a people.\u00a0 The international community, in particular the United Nations, must ensure the safeguarding of the rights of the Palestinian people.\u00a0 Those who stood on the side of an apartheid regime stood on the wrong side of history.<\/p>\n

Concluding Remarks<\/strong><\/p>\n

MICHAEL LYNK,\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, said the international community needed to\u00a0develop a\u00a0comprehensive list of accountability measures to\u00a0apply to\u00a0Israel\u00a0until\u00a0it complied\u00a0with international law and terminated the occupation.\u00a0 If any\u00a0peace\u00a0process\u00a0was\u00a0to begin,\u00a0it was to be based on five principles.\u00a0 Because\u00a0of the vast asymmetry of\u00a0power, an active international intervention was indispensable.\u00a0\u00a0Also, a\u00a0rights-based\u00a0approach was\u00a0needed.\u00a0\u00a0The end goal should be the realisation of\u00a0Palestinian self-determination and\u00a0Israel needed to\u00a0be designated as a bad faith occupier as this was not an honest policy that Israel\u00a0had but rather a sustained show of defiance to\u00a0preserve\u00a0the\u00a0fruits\u00a0of the\u00a0occupation.\u00a0 The recommendations in the report were clear.<\/p>\n

Presentation of Reports Under Agenda Item Seven on the Human Rights Situation in Palestine and Other Occupied Arab Territories<\/strong><\/p>\n

Documentation<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Council has before it the\u00a0report<\/a>\u00a0(A\/HRC\/49\/83) of the High Commissioner on the\u00a0implementation of HRC resolutions S-9\/1 and S-12\/1 on the occupied Palestinian territory<\/strong>
\nAlso before the Council is the\u00a0report<\/a>\u00a0(A\/HRC\/49\/84) of the Secretary-General on the\u00a0situation of human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Council has before it the\u00a0report<\/a>\u00a0(A\/HRC\/49\/85) of the High Commissioner on\u00a0Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presentation of Reports<\/strong><\/p>\n

MICHELLE BACHELET, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, presented\u00a0three reports under the Council\u2019s agenda item seven on the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories.\u00a0\u00a0She\u00a0began with the\u00a0fourteenth periodic report<\/strong>\u00a0on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (A\/HRC\/49\/83)\u00a0<\/strong>pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions S-9\/1 and S-12\/1.\u00a0\u00a0This report addressed recurring violations of international humanitarian and human rights law by Israel and by Palestinian armed groups, as well as further violations of international human rights law by Israel, the State of Palestine and the de facto authorities in Gaza.\u00a0 The human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory had deteriorated further, and violations of international humanitarian law had continued and increased. \u00a0Israel had carried out arbitrary arrests and criminal prosecution of human rights defenders, including women human rights defenders.\u00a0 The number of Palestinian children detained by Israel, and of administrative detainees, had also significantly increased.\u00a0 Disturbingly, gender-based violence, including online, remained prevalent in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and in Gaza.\u00a0\u00a0The report also detailed human rights violations committed by the Palestinian Authority and the de facto authorities in Gaza.<\/p>\n

Ms. Bachelet then presented\u00a0the second report,\u00a0<\/strong>on\u00a0Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan (A\/HRC\/49\/85<\/strong>), submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 46\/26.\u00a0\u00a0The expansion of settlements\u00a0persisted.\u00a0\u00a0Of particular concern was the continued advancement of settlements in and around East Jerusalem, further consolidating a ring of settlement blocs around the city.\u00a0\u00a0This seriously undermined the viability of a two-State solution and had severe impacts on the human rights of Palestinians.\u00a0\u00a0The establishment and expansion of settlements was a flagrant violation of international law.\u00a0\u00a0Israel had begun registration of land ownership in occupied East Jerusalem.\u00a0 Palestinians remained at risk of forcible transfer.\u00a0\u00a0Alarmingly, settler violence continued to increase.\u00a0 The severity of attacks had also intensified.\u00a0 Almost total impunity persisted for these attacks.\u00a0 Israeli suppression of Palestinian protests against settlement activities was of grave concern.<\/p>\n

The High Commissioner then presented the third report on\u00a0human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan<\/strong>\u00a0(<\/strong>A\/HRC\/49\/84<\/strong><\/a>)<\/strong>,\u00a0as requested by Human Rights Council resolution 46\/24.\u00a0\u00a0As per usual practice, the report was based on information received from Member States.\u00a0\u00a0For this report, the Permanent Missions of Syria, as well as Cuba, the Democratic People\u2019s Republic of Korea, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kenya and Kuwait had responded to the request to provide information.<\/p>\n

In conclusion, the High Commissioner explained that the reports described the persistence of human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territory and in the occupied Syrian Golan, with a concerning lack of accountability.\u00a0\u00a0She reiterated that the main driver of human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territory was the occupation and called for an immediate end to all human rights violations and abuses, and to all violations of international humanitarian law.\u00a0\u00a0A lack of accountability lay at the heart of the ongoing violations in the occupied Palestinian territory, sustaining a cycle of violence and deprivation which appeared to have no end.<\/p>\n

Statements by Countries Concerned<\/strong><\/p>\n

State of Palestine, speaking as a country concerned, said it was evident that the occupying power\u2019s human rights violations had continued, namely house demolitions and attempts to expel people from various areas.\u00a0 There was continuous targeting of Palestinian civilians and children.\u00a0 These constituted extra-judicial killings, and there were daily attacks on demonstrators, abuse at checkpoints, and denial of movement for those requiring medical treatment.\u00a0 The unjust blockade also continued, with attacks on public and private property, and theft of resources and funds allocated to the Palestinian State.\u00a0 The violations had cost the Palestinian economy a loss of nearly $ 70 billion.\u00a0 The report also referred to an entrenched, institutionalised colonial settlement policy, which was against international humanitarian law.\u00a0 All parties should take concrete measures to put an end to this, as, if continued, it would put an end to all Palestinian abilities to establish their own State.\u00a0 The suffering of Palestinian prisoners continued unabated, including women, children, and the sick.\u00a0 There was a need for commitment and implementation of the provisions of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.\u00a0 There should be respect for human rights, investigation of crimes, and prosecution of the perpetrators.\u00a0 Israel had been an occupation power for more than 55 years.\u00a0 He who wanted peace should begin with Palestine and restore the rights of the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n

Syria, speaking as a country concerned, said the gross and systemic human rights violations committed by the Israeli authorities in the occupied Palestinian territories, and the deteriorating humanitarian conditions as a result of continuing attacks of the Israeli authorities and the blockade of the Gaza Strip, continued.\u00a0 The illegal settlement activities constituted the main source of many human rights violations: the occupying entity continued to expand settlements, confiscate lands, take natural resources, and install different populations in areas, in total contradiction of its international obligations, seeking to change the demographic make-up of the occupied Syrian Golan.\u00a0 Syria rejected the settlement plans announced last December – these coincided with the implementation of the second phase of the projects that continued to be implemented despite the protests of the inhabitants of the occupied Golan, the international community, and the environmental impacts thereof.\u00a0 Syria condemned the discriminatory practices of the Israeli occupation, and the violations of the basic rights of the people in the occupied Golan, including education and health, and subjecting them to discriminatory treatment in accessing water and electricity, whilst impeding the sale of the agricultural products that were the source of their livelihood.\u00a0 Some countries encouraged Israel to persist in its activities of aggression on Syrian territory, violating Security Council resolutions, and the agreements, constituting acts of aggression that would not have happened without this support.\u00a0 Syria was determined to confront these attacks and recover the entirety of the occupied Syrian Golan.<\/p>\n

General Debate on Agenda Item Seven on the Human Rights Situation in Palestine and Other Occupied Arab Territories<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the general debate, speakers said any attempts to undermine the agenda item would further erode the reliability of the United Nations system and normalise occupation in international norms.\u00a0 Israel\u2019s continued policies and practices had resulted in flagrant human rights violations and abuses, including brutalisation of children, torture, forcible transfers, and colonisation of land.\u00a0 Israel had no interest in achieving a just peace, and was committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of apartheid.\u00a0 There should be an immediate lifting of the blockade against the Gaza Strip.\u00a0 All collective punishment of the Palestinian people should cease immediately, and the international community should dismantle and eliminate the Israeli system of colonialism and apartheid, which ran counter to international law.\u00a0 There must be swift and full investigations into all violations of international law, international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and the guilty should be punished to the fullest extent thereof.<\/p>\n

The Human Rights Council had an ethical and legal obligation to act ethically and legally to protect the Palestinian people and address the situation as it should strive to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms for all.\u00a0 Israel must be held accountable for all its violations of international law, international human rights law, and international humanitarian law in all Palestinian areas, including the occupied Syrian Golan.\u00a0 The occupying power should not go unpunished for its crimes and its disregard for the standards of the international community.\u00a0 Human rights were interconnected and indivisible in nature, and the right to self-determination was connected to the enjoyment of all other human rights.<\/p>\n

Palestinian children in detention centres must be released, in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.\u00a0 It was vital to support a solution for the Palestinian question, and the international community must work to find a solution, whilst Israel should re-join the negotiations.\u00a0 Israel should implement all recommendations contained within the reports and cease its attempts to create more settlements on the West Bank, which violated the Fourth Geneva Convention. \u00a0Not to do so would undermine the possibilities to achieve the two-State solution and fail to promote and protect the rights of the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n

Some speakers noted that some States were abstaining from the debate; this was a failure by those States to intervene in a grave situation of human rights violations.\u00a0 Palestinian villages and cities were experiencing repeated incursions by Israeli forces and settlements.\u00a0 Hundreds of Palestinian families were paying a price for this, as well as suffering from the siege of Gaza, where the people were living in squalid socio-economic conditions and were forced to flee their homes.\u00a0 The Palestinian authorities had been referred to as terrorists by the Israeli authorities, who refused to allow peaceful civil society organizations to operate.\u00a0 The displacement of Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem, and the grave and fundamental damage to civilian infrastructures were a grave violation of international humanitarian law, and they enjoyed the support of the Government of the United States.<\/p>\n

The demolition of sites of worship was also condemned, as this was a violation of the rights of the Palestinian people and of all Muslims.\u00a0 It was deplorable that the occupying power had been encouraged by other States, which made it feel that it was above the law, encouraging other crimes to be committed.\u00a0 States should assume their ethical and moral obligation to protect the Palestinians, resolving the issue of refugees under the relevant Security Council resolutions.\u00a0 The Palestinian issue was of crucial importance for peace in the world, as well as justice.\u00a0 The ongoing blockade and the pandemic had made the socio-economic development of Palestinians ever more difficult, undermining the right to development to an ever-growing extent.\u00a0 The international community should continue to help Palestine to improve their economy, fight the pandemic, and improve peoples\u2019 livelihood.\u00a0 Some speakers said that a fully independent Palestinian State, with the pre-1967 borders, and with East Jerusalem as its capital, must be installed.\u00a0 It was time to settle the historic debt to Palestine and restore the rights of its people, including over their natural resources and their right to self-determination.\u00a0 A full settlement of the conflict was only possible in the context of internationally agreed-upon norms.<\/p>\n

Link:\u00a0https:\/\/www.ungeneva.org\/en\/news-media\/meeting-summary\/2022\/03\/conseil-des-droits-de-lhomme-m-michael-lynk-qualifie-dapartheid<\/a><\/p>\n

___________<\/p>\n

Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the information media; not an official record<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

25 March 2022 Report The Human Rights Council this morning held an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967; heard the High Commissioner for Human Rights present reports of the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner on its agenda item seven on the human […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":172,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"template-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[897],"document-category":[1329],"document-source":[1602,2025],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[2005,1741,1961,2297,2185,2137],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[],"class_list":["post-272909","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","country-israel","document-category-press-release","document-source-human-rights-council","document-source-special-rapporteur-on-the-situation-of-human-rights-in-the-opt","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-human-rights-and-international-humanitarian-law","document-subject-jerusalem","document-subject-land","document-subject-legal-issues","document-subject-settlements","entity-united-nations-system"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/272909","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\/272909\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=272909"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=272909"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=272909"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=272909"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=272909"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=272909"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=272909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}