End of Mission Statement of the UN Special Committee to
Investigate Israeli Practices
GENEVA / AMMAN (17 July 2017) – A United Nations
committee* has heard serious concerns about Israel’s human rights record,
including the deteriorating situation in Gaza, inadequate protection for
detained children and increasing obstacles being faced by human rights
defenders and journalists.
Members of the Committee also heard testimony on the
expansion of settlements, the ongoing use of administrative detention,
excessive use of force and possible extrajudicial killings, and lack of
accountability.
During its annual mission to Amman, Jordan, the Special
Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the
Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories, established by
General Assembly Resolution 2443 in 1968, heard from civil society
organizations, UN representatives and Palestinian officials.
Based on this testimony, the Committee clearly observed
that the Israeli authorities continue with policies and practices that
negatively impact the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory.
The deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza,
compounded by the ongoing electricity crisis, was repeatedly raised as one of
the most pressing issues.
The Committee heard with concern about the atmosphere of
increasing hopelessness and desperation among the population of Gaza as
Israel’s blockade and closure continues for its tenth year, with ongoing
restrictions imposed by Israel on the movement of people and goods in and out
of Gaza impacting every aspect of life for residents.
Other testimony described with grave concern the
situation of Palestinian detainees reportedly living in difficult conditions in
Israeli prisons. The continued use of administrative detention was also raised
as an area of ongoing concern.
The Committee heard troubling testimony regarding the
arrest and detention of children, including cases of reported ill-treatment and
lack of adequate protection.
Organizations told the Committee that Israeli settlement
expansion had continued in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as well as
the Syrian Golan, with a notably high level of new construction announced this
year, in violation of international humanitarian law.
Settlements were having a negative impact on the human
rights of Palestinians, including by restricting freedom of movement and
further fragmenting life in the West Bank, the Committee heard.
Other issues raised included the effects of the
separation wall on Palestinians’ rights, and the demolition of homes and other
structures in the West Bank including East Jerusalem, as well as in the Syrian
Golan. The use of punitive demolitions in the West Bank including East
Jerusalem was described as a form of collective punishment.
Organizations described the practice of demolishing homes
as one that increases pressure on vulnerable communities such as the Bedouin
communities in Area C to leave their homes, which they noted could amount to
unlawful forcible transfer.
Many organizations highlighted with concern the continued
lack of accountability for allegations of excessive use of force and violations
of international law by the Israeli forces, including during the 2014
hostilities in Gaza. A number of organizations emphasized that the lack of
accountability further exacerbated the cycle of violence.
Human rights defenders and journalists seeking to
highlight violations of human rights and humanitarian law told the Committee
that the space in which they were free to operate was shrinking at an alarming
rate. They reported cases of the detention of peaceful demonstrators and the
targeting of journalists covering protests.
The Government of Israel does not recognize the
Committee, which was therefore unable to speak to the relevant Israeli
authorities or access the occupied territories.
The Committee will submit a full report on its mission
and other activities to the UN General Assembly in November 2017.
ENDS
(*) The UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices
Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the
Occupied Territories was established by the UN General Assembly in December
1968 to examine the human rights situation in the occupied Syrian Golan, the
West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
The Special Committee is composed of three Member States:
Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Senegal. This year the Member States are represented
by H.E. Mr. Shahrul Ikram Yaakob (acting chair of the Special Committee),
Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the United Nations in New York, H.E.
Mr. Sabarullah Khan, Deputy Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United
Nations in New York, and H.E. Mr. Coly Seck, Permanent Representative of
Senegal to the United Nations in Geneva, who was represented by Mr. M. Serigne
Dieye, Chargé d’Affaires, Permanent Mission of Senegal to the UN in Geneva on
this mission.
UN Human Rights, country pages: Occupied Palestinian
Territories and Israel
For more information and media requests, please contact
Ms. Katharine Marshall (+41 22 917 9695 / kmarshall@ohchr.org) or Ms. Tal
Steiner (+41 22 917 9774 / tsteiner@ohchr.org)
You can access this press release online
Concerned about the world we live in? Then STAND UP for
someone’s rights today. #Standup4humanrights and visit the web page at
http://www.standup4humanrights.org
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