{"id":252079,"date":"2021-05-18T11:59:29","date_gmt":"2021-05-18T15:59:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=252079"},"modified":"2021-06-02T16:11:31","modified_gmt":"2021-06-02T20:11:31","slug":"parliamentarians-must-demand-governments-pressure-israel-to-stop-this-carnage-palestinian-rights-committee-hears-amid-calls-for-accountability-justice-press-release-ga-pal-1438","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/parliamentarians-must-demand-governments-pressure-israel-to-stop-this-carnage-palestinian-rights-committee-hears-amid-calls-for-accountability-justice-press-release-ga-pal-1438\/","title":{"rendered":"Parliamentarians Must Demand Governments Pressure Israel to “Stop this Carnage”, Palestinian Rights Committee Hears, Amid Calls for Accountability, Justice – Press Release (GA\/PAL\/1438)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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GA\/PAL\/1438<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
18 MAY 2021<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
video<\/a><\/div>\n
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Fran\u00e7ais<\/a><\/p>\n

Â鶹APP Political Affairs Chief Warns Clashes Only Intensify\u00a0\u2018Deeply Inflammatory\u2019 Atmosphere, Underscores Need for Revitalized Peace Process<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The current volatile moment in the Israel-Palestine conflict must be used to mobilize political will and ensure accountability for Israel\u2019s violations, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People heard today amid calls for a ceasefire in the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cShame on the Security Council,\u201d said Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine, speaking at the virtual Forum on International Parliamentarian Support to the Question of Palestine, convened by the Committee. \u00a0Even though the Council met several times and there was consensus on the need for a ceasefire, it was unable to say a single official word against the aggression.\u00a0 One country is preventing the Security Council to speak in a unified voice, he said, noting that the General Assembly, therefore, will meet on 20\u00a0May to address the crisis.<\/p>\n

Calling on parliamentarians to demand their Governments pressure Israel to stop the carnage, he highlighted the humanitarian tragedy. \u00a0More than 50,000\u00a0people are displaced in Gaza, he said, adding \u201cthey need to eat, they need medicine, they need inoculation against the pandemic, they need blankets, they need the ambulances, they need doctors\u201d. \u00a0The international community must mobilize assistance to enable Palestinians to deal with the natural catastrophe and the human-made one, he said, highlighting the role of the Â鶹APP Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) in particular.<\/p>\n

Voicing alarm about the number of deaths and pointing to the evictions pending in the Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighbourhoods, Mr.\u00a0Mansour said the International Criminal Court must begin investigating Israel\u2019s war crimes. \u00a0The racist apartheid regime of Israel is attacking everything related to Palestine, he said, and Palestinian people need to be protected. \u00a0Those who are fixated on Israel\u2019s right to defend itself should remember that Palestinians live under apartheid and discrimination.\u00a0 \u201cWhat would you do if you are under occupation,\u201d he asked, adding that anything short of an end to the occupation will only be preparation for the next cycle of violence.<\/p>\n

Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, also spoke at the Forum today, voicing concern about the lost civilian lives, which include children on both sides. \u00a0Recent clashes between Israeli security forces and large crowds of Palestinian worshippers have intensified a deeply inflammatory atmosphere. \u00a0Underscoring the urgent need to revitalize the peace process, she pointed out that this escalation is taking place amid an already deteriorating situation in occupied East Jerusalem, where hundreds of Palestinian residents of the Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighbourhoods are facing eviction from their homes.<\/p>\n

Reiterating the Secretary-General\u2019s call on Israel to cease evictions and demolitions, in line with its obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, she said both parties must urgently de-escalate the dangerous spiral of violence between Israel and Gaza.\u00a0 Noting the important role of the Committee, she added that regional and international supporters of the Parliamentarians, through their legislative power and advocacy with their Governments, can reinforce the global consensus on the two-State solution. \u00a0She also highlighted the roles of the Middle East Quartet, the Â鶹APP Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and the Division for Palestinian Rights, which serves as the secretariat for the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.<\/p>\n

In his opening remarks, Committee Chair Cheikh Niang (Senegal) recalled the many ways in which Parliamentarians are raising awareness on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.\u00a0 They have incorporated relevant international obligations and bilateral agreements into national legislation, while also promoting diplomatic recognition of the State of Palestine by their respective Governments and voting to incorporate aid for the Palestinian people into national and supra-national budgets.<\/p>\n

Highlighting examples, he noted that the senate of Chile, host of one of the biggest Palestinian diaspora communities, recently approved a resolution calling on the President to adopt a law boycotting settlement goods.\u00a0 In 2020, more than 100\u00a0members of France\u2019s Parliament called for their Government, and the European Union at large, to impose sanctions on Israel over its annexation policy. \u00a0Further, parliamentarians in South Africa were requested to provide guidance to Palestinian civil society groups as they advocate for revival of the Centre against Apartheid to address the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. \u00a0Voicing support for the work of parliamentarians across the world, he said that recent events illustrate the importance of such work.<\/p>\n

Panel I<\/u><\/p>\n

The Committee then held two panel discussions. \u00a0The first \u2014 on the topic of \u201cParliaments, Security Council Resolution 2334<\/a> (2016), and Israeli Settlements: \u00a0Calls for Accountability\u201d \u2014 was moderated by Pedro Roque, President Emeritus and current Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, and included Francisco Chahu\u00e1n, Senator of Chile; Julie Elliott, Member of Parliament of the\u00a0United Kingdom; and Hubert Julien-Laferri\u00e8re, Member of the National Assembly of France.<\/p>\n

Ms.\u00a0Elliot emphasized that the Palestine-Israel conflict is not a war between equals and has never been. \u00a0At the moment, many hundreds of innocent people are being killed on both sides of the divide, but overwhelmingly on the Palestinian side, she said, noting that the only COVID-19 testing site in Gaza was put out of action on 17\u00a0May. \u00a0Stressing that a ceasefire will not bring about lasting peace, she said only accountability can do that.\u00a0 \u201cThe status quo that is often talked about is not a status quo,\u201d she said. \u00a0\u201cIt is a creeping annexation.\u201d\u00a0 This makes the two-State solution increasingly impossible to achieve. \u00a0She called on the United Kingdom to support efforts seeking Israel\u2019s accountability in the International Criminal Court. \u00a0Expressing alarm about the attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque \u2014 an \u201cappalling sight\u201d to behold during the holy month of Ramadan \u2014 she said there must be agreement to restore access to the holy places in Jerusalem and called on the United Kingdom to end the sale of bombs to Israel.<\/p>\n

Mr.\u00a0Chahu\u00e1n stressed the importance of multilateralism in resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict. \u00a0Recalling the several Â鶹APP resolutions describing Israel\u2019s settlements as illegal, starting in 1977, he said that Government has scoffed at such resolutions and continues to invoke the law of the jungle.\u00a0 Noting various international legal precedents that applied to the conflict, he also recalled the economic effects of the occupation, which deprive Palestinians from benefitting from resource-rich regions, such as the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea. \u00a0Palestinian political prisoners do not have access to due process, he said, calling that an infringement of basic human rights, as well as various international covenants. \u00a0Turning to the \u201capartheid wall\u201d which Israel started building in 2002, he said the International Court of Justice declared it illegal in 2004 and the Â鶹APP demanded that its construction stop immediately. \u00a0However, he said, the wall continues to separate Palestinians from Palestinians, divide families, and infringe on the right to free movement. \u00a0He called on Parliamentarians to address these issues when considering agreements concerning possible investments, travel, trade and tourism.<\/p>\n

Mr.\u00a0Julien-Laferri\u00e8re said there was great support for Palestine in France\u2019s Parliament, as illustrated during the vote on the recognition of State of Palestine.\u00a0 Beyond laws, it is important to mobilize parliamentarians through public opinion, he said, describing an effort he coordinated against the Abraham Accords.\u00a0 However, he cautioned, \u201cwhile we are wasting all this time, Palestine\u2019s chances are also getting lost through settlements and annexation.\u201d\u00a0 While France\u2019s position supports the two-State solution, it is \u201csoft\u201d on sanctions and boycotting, he said, adding, \u201cwe speak great principles\u201d. \u00a0Increasingly, it will become impossible to create the Palestinian State and many Palestinians themselves are wondering if a binational State, in which both communities are equal, is more viable. \u00a0It is crucial for Parliamentarians to mobilize at the regional level but also the transnational level, he emphasized.<\/p>\n

Panel II<\/u><\/p>\n

The second panel discussion, on the topic of \u201cParliamentarians and Support for Efforts to Achieve a Just Solution,\u201d included Solomon Lechesa Tsenoli, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa and Alexandre Boulerice, Member of Parliament of Canada. \u00a0Mr.\u00a0Roque moderated that panel as well.<\/p>\n

Mr.\u00a0Tsenoli said the deaths and displacement of Palestinians and destruction of their heritage reminds South Africans of apartheid years.\u00a0 \u201cOur freedom in South Africa is dependent on the freedom of Palestinians,\u201d he said, adding that parliaments of the world must demand peace for Palestine. \u00a0The Middle East deserves peace, he said, stressing that the situation on the ground cannot continue.\u00a0 Ending the occupation is in the interests of both Israel and Palestine, he said, adding that South Africa will engage actively on international platforms to advocate for the resumption of the peace process. \u00a0Unilateralism threatens the global balance of power, he said, urging the United States Administration to use its influence wisely.<\/p>\n

Mr.\u00a0Boulerice expressed shock and alarm at the situation in Israel-Palestine, including the large number of child victims of the violence. \u00a0Sharing his experience as part of a pro-Palestinian parliamentary group in Canada, he noted that he travelled to the West Bank as part of a Canadian delegation. \u00a0That enabled him to see all \u201cthe humiliations and frustrations that take place on a daily basis for thousands of people\u201d, he said, adding that Palestinian olive groves and villages are disappearing because of the expansion of illegal settlements.\u00a0 The delegation also visited refugee camps that are practically towns since they have existed since 1948. \u00a0\u201cWe had an unsettling visit to Hebron, the City of Martyrs,\u201d he said, noting that the settlements there are protected by military authorities who blocked the delegation\u2019s access. \u00a0While the official position of Canada is good, it could be better, he said, but the bigger problem is the refusal to stand by the official position beyond \u201ca few words in a press statement\u201d.<\/p>\n

In the ensuing discussion, the representatives of Cuba and Indonesia expressed solidarity with Palestine and called on the international community to act decisively. \u00a0There was also an audience question concerning Canada\u2019s foreign policy.<\/p>\n

Responding, Mr.\u00a0Boulerice called it a shame to see his Government being so cautious, given that historically, Canada had shown leadership when it came to the situation in South Africa. \u00a0The drama that is playing out right now should incite the international community to demand consequence. \u00a0Mr.\u00a0Julien-Laferri\u00e8re said that the history of Israel\u2019s creation made it difficult to impose sanctions against it, despite its flouting of international laws. \u00a0Ms.\u00a0Elliot said that while the situation in Israel and occupied territories is not identical to what happened in South Africa, there are rampant inequalities between children born within a half mile of each other, depending on whether they are Israeli or Palestinian.<\/p>\n

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

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