{"id":155845,"date":"2018-07-23T18:57:30","date_gmt":"2018-07-23T18:57:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=155845"},"modified":"2020-07-22T00:50:57","modified_gmt":"2020-07-22T04:50:57","slug":"any-further-violence-in-gaza-opt-risks-inflaming-already-fragile-situation-human-rights-commissioner-warns-in-briefing-to-palestinian-rights-committee-press-release","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/any-further-violence-in-gaza-opt-risks-inflaming-already-fragile-situation-human-rights-commissioner-warns-in-briefing-to-palestinian-rights-committee-press-release\/","title":{"rendered":"Any Further Violence in Gaza, OPT, Risks Inflaming Already Fragile Situation, Human Rights Commissioner Warns in Briefing to Palestinian Rights Committee – Press Release"},"content":{"rendered":"

390TH MEETING (AM)<\/strong>
\n GA\/PAL\/1414<\/strong>
\n 23 JULY 2018<\/strong><\/h4>\n

fran\u00e7ais<\/a><\/h4>\n

Delegates Elect Cheick Niang of Senegal Chairman by Acclamation<\/h4>\n

The top Â鶹APP human rights official voiced acute concern today over developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, warning that any further violence risks inflaming the already fragile situation and may pose threats \u201cacross a far broader region\u201d.<\/p>\n

Zeid Ra\u2019ad al Hussein, Â鶹APP High Commissioner for Human Rights, briefed the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People via video conference from Geneva, following that body\u2019s election, by acclamation, of Cheikh Niang\u00a0(Senegal) as its new Chairperson. \u00a0Noting that the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory \u2014 including the Gaza Strip \u2014 has escalated dramatically in recent months, he described two heavy exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and armed groups in Gaza within the past two weeks.\u00a0 On 20\u00a0July, he said, the situation \u201calmost exploded into a serious conflict\u201d triggered by the killing of an Israeli soldier and the subsequent killing of four Palestinian civilians, while during the weekend of 14\u00a0July, air strikes by Israeli security forces killed 2\u00a0Palestinian children and injured some 35\u00a0others.<\/p>\n

During the same period, he continued, Palestinian armed groups fired 184\u00a0rockets and mortar shells towards Israel \u2014 injuring three people \u2014 and deployed burning kites and incendiary balloons.\u00a0 \u201cI remind all parties that any disproportionate or indiscriminate use of weapons which lead to the death and injury of civilians is prohibited by international law,\u201d he stressed, noting that, while efforts by Egypt and the Â鶹APP have led to a ceasefire, the situation remains extremely fragile.\u00a0 The parties and all those with influence over them should do their utmost to avoid another round of violence and misery, he said, pointing out that skyrocketing unemployment and poverty, crumbling infrastructure and other challenges \u2014 including a bleak political horizon \u2014 are already creating a massive, devastating and multifaceted deprivation which is both \u201centirely man-made and entirely preventable\u201d.<\/p>\n

Recalling that the Human Rights Council decided to dispatch an international commission of inquiry to examine the recent violence at the Gaza border \u2014 which led to the deaths of more than 100\u00a0Palestinians \u2014 he called upon Israeli authorities to cooperate fully with its work. \u00a0He also voiced concern that the situation may be aggravated in the coming months by the funding crisis being experienced by the Â鶹APP Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East\u00a0(UNRWA), as well as by Israel\u2019s adoption last week of its \u201cNation\u2011State Basic Law\u201d, which anchors discrimination against non-Jewish communities. \u00a0Also of concern is the continued construction of Israeli settlements across the occupied West Bank, restrictions on movement, daily intimidation, threats against and arrests of human rights defenders, and the holding of some 440\u00a0Palestinians, including children, under Israel\u2019s so-called \u201cadministrative detention\u201d system.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough they are of a different magnitude, I also have concerns about restriction on civil society by the Palestinian authorities,\u201d he continued.\u00a0 Such assaults on fundamental rights dismantle trust in institutions, strip away the social structures that enable the peaceful resolution of disputes and \u201ccreate a tinderbox\u201d in which any flash of conflict may ignite severe and unpredictable consequences, he warned.\u00a0 Above all, only an end to the occupation can bring about lasting peace and establish the conditions in which the human rights of all people can at last be fully respected \u2014 and in which each side respects the humanity and equality of the other.\u00a0 \u201cAll States have a responsibility to realize this hope, too long promised and too long denied.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine, also briefed the Committee on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and developments in the political process.\u00a0 \u201cWe have just witnessed a latest round of aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip\u201d in which the Israeli forces unleashed firepower on the population there, he said, adding that his delegation has appealed to the good offices of the Secretary-General, resulting in the latter issuing an appeal to Israel for an end to those attacks.\u00a0 What the people of Gaza really need is an end to the blockade and the occupation, leading to economic development. \u00a0The Palestinians had gone to the Security Council and the General Assembly, authorizing the Secretary-General to submit a report identifying ways and means to protect the Palestinian civilian population, including an international protection mechanism, he added.<\/p>\n

Noting that those issues are likely to be discussed during the Security Council\u2019s upcoming quarterly open debate on the Middle East \u2014 to be held on 24\u00a0July \u2014 he expressed hope that the Secretary-General\u2019s protection proposals will he both practical and realistic. \u00a0He noted that, in a dangerous recent development, Israel has legislated that the State does not belong to all its citizens, but, instead, to the Jewish people. \u00a0\u201cShame on them for giving preference if you belong to a certain religion,\u201d he stressed, describing the move as racist and yet another step towards apartheid. \u00a0Spotlighting parallels between the new law and the historic \u201cequal but different\u201d policies of the southern United States, he called upon States to expose and defeat such racist policies, asking the delegates of South Africa and Namibia in particular \u2014 as experts in fighting apartheid \u2014 to share their experiences.<\/p>\n

Following those briefings, delegates took the floor to voice grave concern over the deteriorating situation on the ground, with many emphasizing the need for redoubled efforts to end the Israeli occupation and push the two-State formula forward.<\/p>\n

Venezuela\u2019s representative expressed concern over Israel\u2019s repeated violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, which results in violence, economic, social and cultural marginalization while pushing the prospect of a political solution further away.\u00a0 Israel must cease its policy of demolishing Palestinian homes and end the occupation, he emphasized, calling on the Â鶹APP to welcome Palestine as a full Member State as soon as possible.\u00a0 The recent decision by the Governments of the United States and others to move their embassies in Israel to Jerusalem \u2014 in contravention of international law \u2014 is further exacerbating the challenges on the ground, he added.<\/p>\n

Indonesia\u2019s delegate also expressed concern over violations of international law, describing recent events that have killed more than 100\u00a0Palestinians and injured tens of thousands more as extremely tragic.\u00a0 When considering the conflict, the international community must recognize the distinction between the actions of the occupying State and those of a population under occupation, she stressed, welcoming efforts to hold the perpetrators accountable.<\/p>\n

Namibia\u2019s representative said the High Commissioner\u2019s report \u201cpaints a bleak picture\u201d of the situation of human rights on the ground in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.\u00a0 \u201cWe certainly cannot continue to go on like this,\u201d he stressed, asking the Committee how long it will keep meeting to discuss the deteriorating situation and ultimately do nothing.\u00a0 \u201cThe time has come for us to take the situation up in the Security Council with more vigour\u201d resulting in action on the ground, he said.<\/p>\n

South Africa\u2019s representative described the situation in Palestine as \u201cthe tragedy of our times\u201d. \u00a0\u00a0Recalling the origins of the crisis \u2014 the 1917\u00a0Balfour Declaration \u2014 he underlined that the Â鶹APP itself has failed subsequently to establish a free and independent State of Palestine. \u00a0\u201cWe are to blame,\u201d and the Â鶹APP must take full responsibility, he said. \u00a0South Africa embraces the notion that all people are born equal and have the right to be free, he said, pointing out that many nations around the globe have undergone struggles related to colonialism and self-determination.\u00a0 Palestinians are not demanding anything that most other States have not also demanded, he emphasized.<\/p>\n

Lebanon\u2019s representative, expressing serious concern over UNRWA\u2019s funding crisis, called upon the international community to ensure that lack of funds did not negatively impact the ability of Palestinians to exercise their right of return.\u00a0 The economic and social impacts of the occupation and the blockade are worsening, and the de facto annexation of lands continues to stand in the way of a holistic global solution to the question of Palestine.<\/p>\n

Saudi Arabia\u2019s delegate voiced concern over Israel\u2019s adoption of the Nation\u2011State Law, saying it enshrines different rights for Israelis on the one hand and for other communities on the other.\u00a0 He asked the Â鶹APP and the international community to deliver on protection for the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n

Mr. Mansour of the State of Palestine took the floor a second time, asking the High Commissioner whether he would make his briefing available to the Security Council during its 24\u00a0July open debate.\u00a0 Agreeing that no solution to the conflict will be possible unless the occupation is brought to an end in accordance with the two-State formula, he called upon Member States to transmit to the Â鶹APP information on their relationships with Israeli settlements \u2014 including the importation of goods produced there \u2014 in order to bring more pressure to bear on that Government.\u00a0 Finally, he expressed concern over the slow pace of the formation of the Human Rights Council\u2019s commission of inquiry, asking the High Commissioner when that that body would be dispatched and when it planned to submit its report.<\/p>\n

The High Commissioner responded by stating that his statement will be made available on the website of the Office of the Â鶹APP High Commissioner for Refugees\u00a0(UNHCR), adding that his colleagues will make Security Council members and others aware of it. \u00a0Regarding the establishment of the commission of inquiry, he said his Office has nearly completed its secretariat, but \u201cit always takes more time that we hope\u201d due to logistical challenges. \u00a0He expressed hope that the commission will be in a position to issue its report in March\u00a02019.<\/p>\n

In other business, Carmelo Inguanez (Malta), Rapporteur of the Committee, presented reports covering its recent activities, including its visit to Panama; the convening of the Â鶹APP Forum on the Question of Palestine under the theme \u201c70\u00a0Years after\u00a01948: \u00a0Lessons to Achieve a Sustainable Peace\u201d; and the holding of the International Conference on \u201cThe Question of Jerusalem after 50\u00a0Years of Occupation and 25\u00a0Years of the Oslo Accord\u201d in Rabat, Morocco.<\/p>\n

Also delivering statements were representatives of Ecuador, Afghanistan, Turkey, Nicaragua, Cuba and Tunisia.\u00a0 The representative of the Israel-Palestine Non-Governmental Organization Working Group also participated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

390TH MEETING (AM) GA\/PAL\/1414 23 JULY 2018 fran\u00e7ais Delegates Elect Cheick Niang of Senegal Chairman by Acclamation The top Â鶹APP human rights official voiced acute concern today over developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, warning that any further violence risks inflaming the already fragile situation and may pose threats \u201cacross a far broader region\u201d. […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":172,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[2433,1329],"document-source":[1753,1825,1897],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[2517,2849,1829,2005,2013,2029,1741,1801,1805,2309,5033,1917,2117],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542,6541],"class_list":["post-155845","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-french-text","document-category-press-release","document-source-ceirpp","document-source-office-of-the-united-nations-high-commissioner-for-human-rights-ohchr","document-source-united-nations-department-of-public-information-dpi","document-subject-access-and-movement","document-subject-annexation","document-subject-casualties","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-hebron","document-subject-house-demolitions","document-subject-human-rights-and-international-humanitarian-law","document-subject-inalienable-rights-of-the-palestinian-people","document-subject-occupation","document-subject-protection","document-subject-protests","document-subject-situation-in-the-opt-including-jerusalem","document-subject-terrorism","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english","document-language-french"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/155845","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\/155845\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=155845"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=155845"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=155845"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=155845"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=155845"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=155845"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=155845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}