General News

UN Human Rights Council slams Israeli occupation and human rights abuses

Date: Jun 28, 2016

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) on Monday held a general debate on the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories.

The debate was condemning the Israeli occupation and slamming the Jewish state’s treatment of Palestinian civilians.

Israel, which has regularly accused the UNHCR of being one-sided, boycotted the debate.

"It is interesting and telling that no western democracies spoke at yesterday’s session convened solely to bash Israel. It was part of a unique policy of an agenda item that exists only to criticise Israel," Israeli Ambassador to South Africa, Arthur Lenk told the African News Agency (ANA).

"No similar agenda item exists for any other state. Such a session is a disservice to the United Nations and the topic of human rights," said Lenk.

During the general debate, delegations condemned Israel’s impunity for the violations in the Occupied Palestinian and Arab Territories, where the use of armed force against civilians continued to be the rule.

The prolonged deprivation of the basic human rights of the Palestinians not only disappointed, but also let down the entire UNHCR, calling into question its credibility and effectiveness, stated some attendees.

Speakers condemned the continued building of Israeli settlements on occupied territories, and regretted that a number of UN states no longer participated in discussing this important issue.

The State of Palestine, speaking as a concerned country, said that Israel continued to carry out assassinations, build settlements, and flagrantly violate international humanitarian law, among many other things.

According to the Palestinians, these were premeditated acts. The fact that ambulances were denied access as well as medical teams confirmed those abuses. They were not accidental killings, but were outside the law.

The latest killing was of a 14-year-old boy, while three other children were injured.

The Palestinian delegation also accused Israeli occupying forces of carrying out acts against human rights defenders.

South Africa, speaking on behalf of the African Group, reaffirmed its support for the historic struggle of the Palestinian people to realise their human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to live in peace and justice.

The South Africans stated it was unacceptable that impunity for the violations in the Occupied Palestinian and Arab Territories persisted without consequences.

The UNHCR had an ethical and legal obligation to act effectively and protect the Palestinian people and their human rights, asserted South Africa.

Namibia regretted that, despite numerous United Nations resolutions, the question of Palestine remained unresolved, and Israel kept violating its obligations.

Senegal noted with regret that the peace process in the Middle East was completely blocked, with a very serious situation of the human rights of the Palestinian people, who continued to suffer powerless from the unbridled construction of colonies.

Angola remained concerned about the violation of international human rights law in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially in the Gaza Strip.

Sudan was not pleased with attempts to marginalise this agenda item, which was a fundamental item and needed to be kept on the agenda until the end of the Israeli occupation.

Syria, meanwhile, said that continued systematic and widespread violations by Israel in Palestine and the occupied Syrian Golan and called on the international community to reject double standards.

Lenk, however, accused the Syrians themselves of practising double standards as their human rights record has regularly been slammed by international rights organisations.

Qatar, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, deplored decisions by certain states to boycott this agenda item, which encouraged Israel to continue committing crimes against the Palestinians.

The Arab Group said Israel continued to colonise Palestinian territories through illegal settlements, which ran contrary to all binding resolutions at international level.

Furthermore, the group added that Israel continued to attempt to change the demography in Palestine and East Jerusalem, in violation of the Geneva Conventions and called on Israel to withdraw from all occupied territories.

Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, condemned Israel for violating all United Nations resolutions, and regretted that other states had decided not to participate in the debate.

Iran, speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, said it was time for the international community to put an end to Israel’s occupation and impunity, which had resulted in instability in the entire region.

The Russian Federation expressed concern at the continued deterioration of the human rights situation under discussion, and reiterated the need to re-launch negotiations

However, supporters of Israel hit back.

The pro-Israeli organisation, United Nations Watch, said: "Israel had been presented as a violator of human rights and yet, it was the only country in the region which ran hospitals that treated all, that respected the rights of minorities and the rights of women, and that was a respected technological innovator."

The World Jewish Congress (WJC) furthermore expressed concern that the UNHCR had issued more condemnatory resolutions against Israel than for the rest of the world combined, despite pressing human rights issues throughout the world.

As the representative of UN Watch correctly noted, "Israel, with all its flaws, is the only country in the Middle East whose hospitals treat Palestinians and Israelis; Jews, Muslims and Christians; the only country in the Middle East that respects women’s rights," Lenk told ANA, adding that Israel was also the only democracy in the Middle East

However, Naeem Jeemah, from the Afro-Middle East Centre (AMEC) think-tank in Johannesburg, accused the Israelis of making poor excuses.

"If Israel wants to compare itself to the worst human rights abusers, that’s its prerogative. However, as a democracy, it should be judged by democratic standards and excusing its abuse of Palestinians by pointing to other human rights abuses is not morally justifiable," Jeemah told ANA.

--ANA--

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