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End-of-mission statement of the UN
Special Committee to Investigate Israeli
Practices
GENEVA / AMMAN (24 June 2019)
– A United Nations committee* notes with
deep concern the continued degradation of the human rights situation in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory – Gaza and the West Bank, including East
Jerusalem, as a result of Israeli policies
and practices, and expresses particular
alarm at a spike in settlement expansion and settler violence, including the
targeting of children and schools.
During its annual mission to Amman,
Jordan, the United Nations Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices
Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the
Occupied Territories received information about the killing and injury of
Palestinians, resulting from the use of live ammunition, rubber-coated metal
bullets and tear gas by Israeli security forces, in what appears to be
excessive and disproportionate use of force against people posing no direct
threat to life.
Since the beginning of the “Great
March of Return” in March 2018, Israeli forces have reportedly killed more than
270 Palestinians and injured nearly 30,000 along the Gaza fence. More than 40
of those killed were children. In the West Bank, the Committee heard about
rising numbers of persons injured or killed in and around the cities of Hebron,
Qalqilya, Ramallah, Nablus, and near Israeli settlements.
The Committee notes with strong
concern the impact of Israeli policies and practices on children.
Several organisations told the
Committee about the practice of night raids to arrest children in the West
Bank, with serious consequences for children’s wellbeing and the enjoyment of
their rights. Following such raids, children are often taken to unknown
locations, held in military vehicles, and subjected to threats and verbal abuse
during interrogations. In some instances, and without the presence of a lawyer,
children face pressure to sign a confession in Hebrew, a language they often do
not understand.
According to testimonies received,
more than 300 children are detained at any given time in the Israeli military
system. The majority are held for minor offences, such as related to
stone-throwing and social media posts. Such practices contravene Article 37 of
the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which requires States to use child
detention as a measure of last resort.
In Gaza, children exhibit unusually
high rates of psychological distress, fuelled by deteriorating living
conditions and a high prevalence of violence, among other factors. A recent
survey revealed that 49 per cent of children felt that there was no hope, and
increased cases of substance abuse, child labour and early marriage were also
reported.
The Committee expresses concern
over the deteriorating human rights situation in the H2 area of Hebron, which
is under the direct control of Israel. Due to a stark increase in settler
violence and the proliferation of physical barriers, freedom of movement is
severely restricted and Palestinians face serious hurdles in undertaking daily
activities, including attending school and social gatherings, going to work and
opening shops and businesses.
This rise in violence and the
atmosphere of impunity have been further exacerbated by Israel’s decision in
January 2019 not to renew the mandate of the protective Temporary International
Presence in Hebron (TIPH), a civilian observer mission that had been in place
since 1994.
The Committee also heard that Israeli
authorities were increasingly speaking openly about annexation of territories
in the West Bank. The massive expansion of Israeli settlements – with 2018
marking the highest approval rate for new settlement housing units since 2002 –
contributes even more to violence and existing human rights violations,
including lack of freedom of movement, appropriation of land, water and other
key natural resources, as well as pollution and waste dumping. In the past two
months alone, Israeli authorities advanced, approved or tendered nearly 6,000
housing units in the occupied West Bank, in a move that constitutes the largest
settlement advancement in two years.
In addition, settlement expansion
and recent legal developments are strongly linked to the acceleration of
Palestinian house demolitions, in particular in East Jerusalem. The Committee
noted with deep concern the continued threat of eviction of the Bedouin
community in Khan al-Ahmar Abu al-Helu in Area C, which would amount to
forcible transfer under international humanitarian law.
The Committee expresses its alarm
at the dire humanitarian and human rights situation in the Gaza Strip, with the
Israeli blockade entering its 13th year. It heard that the Gazan economy is in
a deep recession, with an unemployment rate of over 50 per cent. The severe,
arbitrary and punitive restrictions on the fishing zone and the lack of safe
drinking water are cited as serious impediments to an adequate standard of
living in Gaza.
The health system in Gaza is
over-stretched and under-resourced, and the ability of people to receive
adequate health care is seriously compromised. Addressing serious illnesses and
complex surgeries is particularly challenging due to the lack of essential
equipment, expertise and medicine. The Committee heard of the restrictions
imposed on Palestinians referred to medical treatment outside of Gaza, in
particular on those injured as a result of the demonstrations at the fence.
Reportedly, only 17 percent of the persons injured in the context of demonstrations
receive the necessary permit to travel outside of Gaza for medical care, versus
60 percent of other persons living in Gaza requiring health care and applying
for a permit. Delays in receiving permits, and occasional refusals to allow
parents and immediate family members to accompany children, are additional
challenges for Palestinian patients in Gaza requiring urgent medical assistance
outside of the Strip.
Finally, the Committee expresses
deep concern at the precarious financial situation of UNRWA, which plays a
critical and unique role in assisting Palestinian refugees in accessing health,
education and other services in the West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem and in
neighbouring countries.
In this context of increased Israeli
discriminatory practices against Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory, and in order to cease the deterioration of their human rights
situation, members of the Committee stress the importance of the peace process
and of the two-State solution.
The delegates of the Special Committee held
meetings with civil society organisations, Palestinian government officials and
UN representatives during their visit to Amman from 17 to 20 June. They also
visited UNRWA Baqa’a Palestine refugee camp, including a school and health
centre, in north Amman area.
The committee will present its next
report to the General Assembly in November 2019.
ENDS
* The United Nations 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: Malaysia, Senegal and Sri Lanka. For this mission, the
Member States were represented by H.E. Mr. Syed Mohamad Hasrin Tengku Hussin
(Acting chair), Permanent Representative Designate of Malaysia to the United
Nations in New York, H.E. Mr. Abdoulaye Barro, Deputy Permanent Representative
of Senegal to the United Nations in New York, and H.E. Mr. Satya Rodrigo,
Deputy Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in New York.
UN Human Rights, Country Pages –
Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel
For more information and media
requests, please contact Nathalie Migeotte (+41 22 917 9877 /
nmigeotte@ohchr.org) or Abigail Eshel (+41 22 917 4148 / aeshel@ohchr.org)
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