24 oct 2019
The UN expert on human rights in the Palestinian territories on Wednesday called for an international ban on all products made in Israeli settlements, as an important step towards ending Israel’s 52-year-old “illegal occupation” of the West Bank.
Michael Lynk, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, told the General Assembly’s human rights committee Wednesday that the international community should issue “a clarion call to the United Nations” to complete and release a withheld database “on businesses engaged in activities related to the illegal settlements.”
Lynk stressed that the international community has a responsibility and a legal obligation to compel Israel to completely end its occupation and remove barriers to self-determination for the Palestinians.
He also called the Israeli occupation in Palestine “the longest occupation” in the world, Anadolu reports.
“Israel has occupied the Palestinian territory for more than 52 years, the longest belligerent occupation in the modern world.”
He said the international community is reluctant to take action against Israel for its permanent occupation and serious violations of international law.
“The status quo of Israel’s ‘occu-annexation’ is endlessly sustainable without decisive international intervention because of the grossly asymmetrical balance of power on the ground,” Lynk said.
As for Gaza, the rights expert said the ongoing blockade — land, sea and air — has severely restricted basic rights of the residents, including healthcare, education and livelihood.
“The Gaza blockade is a denial of basic human rights and amounts to collective punishment,” he said.
Turning to ongoing protests by Gazans and the use of live ammunition by Israeli security forces, Lynk said Israeli has not held its soldiers accountable for their actions despite calls by the international community and civil society organizations in this regard.
The “Great March of Return” and related protests have resulted in the deaths of 207 Palestinians and 33,828 have been injured, he noted.
The expert also raised concerns on the Israeli government’s annexation activities in the West Bank and settlers’ escalating violations there.
“Incidents of settler violence were recorded in a number of West Bank towns including in Hebron, Nablus, and Ramallah,” he added.
Lynk said the Israeli security forces have intensified their raids into various parts of the West Bank and arrests and arbitrary detentions.
Lynk also said more than 100 Palestinian-owned structures have been demolished in east Jerusalem since late April.
He said the Israeli occupation is a bitter illustration of the absence of international accountability for Israel’s violations of Palestinian rights and humanitarian law.
Michael Lynk, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, told the General Assembly’s human rights committee Wednesday that the international community should issue “a clarion call to the United Nations” to complete and release a withheld database “on businesses engaged in activities related to the illegal settlements.”
Lynk stressed that the international community has a responsibility and a legal obligation to compel Israel to completely end its occupation and remove barriers to self-determination for the Palestinians.
He also called the Israeli occupation in Palestine “the longest occupation” in the world, Anadolu reports.
“Israel has occupied the Palestinian territory for more than 52 years, the longest belligerent occupation in the modern world.”
He said the international community is reluctant to take action against Israel for its permanent occupation and serious violations of international law.
“The status quo of Israel’s ‘occu-annexation’ is endlessly sustainable without decisive international intervention because of the grossly asymmetrical balance of power on the ground,” Lynk said.
As for Gaza, the rights expert said the ongoing blockade — land, sea and air — has severely restricted basic rights of the residents, including healthcare, education and livelihood.
“The Gaza blockade is a denial of basic human rights and amounts to collective punishment,” he said.
Turning to ongoing protests by Gazans and the use of live ammunition by Israeli security forces, Lynk said Israeli has not held its soldiers accountable for their actions despite calls by the international community and civil society organizations in this regard.
The “Great March of Return” and related protests have resulted in the deaths of 207 Palestinians and 33,828 have been injured, he noted.
The expert also raised concerns on the Israeli government’s annexation activities in the West Bank and settlers’ escalating violations there.
“Incidents of settler violence were recorded in a number of West Bank towns including in Hebron, Nablus, and Ramallah,” he added.
Lynk said the Israeli security forces have intensified their raids into various parts of the West Bank and arrests and arbitrary detentions.
Lynk also said more than 100 Palestinian-owned structures have been demolished in east Jerusalem since late April.
He said the Israeli occupation is a bitter illustration of the absence of international accountability for Israel’s violations of Palestinian rights and humanitarian law.
10 oct 2019
The Israeli authorities continue to demolish Palestinian homes and institutions, target families, arrest and intimidate children in Jerusalem as part of a systematic policy of forcible displacement of Palestinians, the Chairman of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med) Ramy Abdu said.
"Despite the UN Security Council adoption of Resolution 2334 in late December 2016, which confirmed the illegality of Israeli settlements in the Palestinian Territories, Israel continues to build settlements illegally, which is a war crime under international law," Abdu said in a speech to the Brazilian Parliament during a parliamentary hearing on the human rights situation in the Palestinian Territories.
As part of the Euro-Med's work in conflict areas, it produces a monthly report that monitors and analyzes Israeli violations in Jerusalem. “I am not exaggerating when I say that we were shocked by the increasing number of systemized violations during the last 12 months," Abdu said, adding that "One of Israel's most cruel policies against Palestinians is homes and infrastructure demolitions, as part of a plan to expel them from Jerusalem by denying them building permits based on racist laws and arbitrary measures".
He explained that the city of Jerusalem witnessed the largest demolitions in a single day since 1967, where the Israeli authorities destroyed 11 residential buildings with 72 apartments during the month of July this year in a crime amounting to ethnic cleansing.
"I am here today to express our deep concern at the appalling human rights situation in the Palestinian Territories and call on you to take all possible measures to pressure the Israeli authorities to stop war crimes against Palestinian civilians,” he noted.
Abdu addressed the horrific reality of children in Jerusalem due to Israeli attacks and night raids targeting Palestinian homes in the occupied city.
He stressed that “Although Israel's violations against Palestinians affect all groups, children are still the most vulnerable, as Israeli violations against them escalate. They are exposed to unacceptable levels of violence every day on their way to and from school and at schools and homes.”
Abdu showed the suffering of 5,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, including 210 children and 38 women, pointing out that 10% of these prisoners are administratively detained within a system that allows the Israeli authorities to arrest and detain people without any charge or trial for long periods, without the possibility of appeal or to know the charges against them.
Last week, dozens of prisoners ended a month-long hunger strike to protest against the presence of mobile phone jamming devices. Most of the detainees in various prisons complained of severe headaches as a result of the operation of these devices, but the Israeli authorities ignored the negative effects of the devices on the health of prisoners.
Abdu said that the population of the Gaza Strip (two million people) suffer from tragic living conditions as a result of the Israeli siege for more than 13 years, pointing out that children are the most affected by the experience of three destructive military attacks in less than six years (2008/2009- 2014), which caused hundreds of thousands of them to be traumatized.
He stressed on the need to act to stop the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, which constitutes a collective punishment policy at the discretion of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross pointing out to the need to compel Israel to stop violating international human rights and humanitarian law, and to respond to international calls.
Abdu explained that Israel's ill-treatment of Palestinians, including prisoners, and the use of torture against them are prohibited under international conventions. The Geneva Conventions of 1949, as well as Protocol I and II of 1977, contain a number of articles that strictly prohibit cruel treatment and attacks on human dignity.
"I am here today to express our deep concern over the appalling human rights situation in the Palestinian Territories and call on you to take all possible measures to put pressure on the Israeli authorities to stop war crimes against Palestinian civilians," Abdu said, calling for intensified efforts to curb serious Israeli violations, including putting an end to ethnic cleansing in Jerusalem and the lifting of the blockade on the Gaza Strip.
"Despite the UN Security Council adoption of Resolution 2334 in late December 2016, which confirmed the illegality of Israeli settlements in the Palestinian Territories, Israel continues to build settlements illegally, which is a war crime under international law," Abdu said in a speech to the Brazilian Parliament during a parliamentary hearing on the human rights situation in the Palestinian Territories.
As part of the Euro-Med's work in conflict areas, it produces a monthly report that monitors and analyzes Israeli violations in Jerusalem. “I am not exaggerating when I say that we were shocked by the increasing number of systemized violations during the last 12 months," Abdu said, adding that "One of Israel's most cruel policies against Palestinians is homes and infrastructure demolitions, as part of a plan to expel them from Jerusalem by denying them building permits based on racist laws and arbitrary measures".
He explained that the city of Jerusalem witnessed the largest demolitions in a single day since 1967, where the Israeli authorities destroyed 11 residential buildings with 72 apartments during the month of July this year in a crime amounting to ethnic cleansing.
"I am here today to express our deep concern at the appalling human rights situation in the Palestinian Territories and call on you to take all possible measures to pressure the Israeli authorities to stop war crimes against Palestinian civilians,” he noted.
Abdu addressed the horrific reality of children in Jerusalem due to Israeli attacks and night raids targeting Palestinian homes in the occupied city.
He stressed that “Although Israel's violations against Palestinians affect all groups, children are still the most vulnerable, as Israeli violations against them escalate. They are exposed to unacceptable levels of violence every day on their way to and from school and at schools and homes.”
Abdu showed the suffering of 5,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, including 210 children and 38 women, pointing out that 10% of these prisoners are administratively detained within a system that allows the Israeli authorities to arrest and detain people without any charge or trial for long periods, without the possibility of appeal or to know the charges against them.
Last week, dozens of prisoners ended a month-long hunger strike to protest against the presence of mobile phone jamming devices. Most of the detainees in various prisons complained of severe headaches as a result of the operation of these devices, but the Israeli authorities ignored the negative effects of the devices on the health of prisoners.
Abdu said that the population of the Gaza Strip (two million people) suffer from tragic living conditions as a result of the Israeli siege for more than 13 years, pointing out that children are the most affected by the experience of three destructive military attacks in less than six years (2008/2009- 2014), which caused hundreds of thousands of them to be traumatized.
He stressed on the need to act to stop the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, which constitutes a collective punishment policy at the discretion of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross pointing out to the need to compel Israel to stop violating international human rights and humanitarian law, and to respond to international calls.
Abdu explained that Israel's ill-treatment of Palestinians, including prisoners, and the use of torture against them are prohibited under international conventions. The Geneva Conventions of 1949, as well as Protocol I and II of 1977, contain a number of articles that strictly prohibit cruel treatment and attacks on human dignity.
"I am here today to express our deep concern over the appalling human rights situation in the Palestinian Territories and call on you to take all possible measures to put pressure on the Israeli authorities to stop war crimes against Palestinian civilians," Abdu said, calling for intensified efforts to curb serious Israeli violations, including putting an end to ethnic cleansing in Jerusalem and the lifting of the blockade on the Gaza Strip.
6 oct 2019
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Ismail Ziada, a Dutch Palestinian who lost six family members when Israel bombarded his home in Gaza, is taking Benny Gantz, the leader of Israel’s Blue and White Party, to court for killing his family. Professor Hilla Dayan, who observed the proceedings, discusses the case and its impact on Israeli politics.
Dr. Hilla Dayan is an Israeli sociologist and activist, a lecturer at Amsterdam University College, and co-founder of gate48 (Amsterdam) and the members’ organization Academia for Equality. Her article, Neozionism: a Portrait of a Contemporary Hegemony, was recently published in Settler-Colonial Studies. |
24 sept 2019
Delegates at the 2019 Labour Party Conference have almost unanimously passed a motion reaffirming Labour’s support for Palestinian rights including their “collective rights to self-determination and to return to their homes”.
The motion also commits the Party to apply international law to all trade with Israel, including to stop all arms trade with Israel that is used in the violation of Palestinian human rights.
Last year, for the first time in history, Labour Conference debated a motion on Palestine which was passed resoundingly amidst a sea of Palestinian flags, in a mass demonstration of public solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The 2018 motion reaffirmed that the core of the Palestinian conflict and at the heart of the Palestinian cause is the dispossession suffered by Palestinians in 1948 during the Nakba, when 750000 were expelled or forced to flee from their homes.
The passing of the motion today comes the day after a packed out fringe meeting hosted by Palestine Solidarity Campaign featuring speeches from Diane Abbott MP, Lisa Nandy MP, speakers from Unite and UNISON unions as well as a live video link with BDS movement co-founder Omar Barghouti, who was prevented from attending in person due to an unexplained abnormal delay by the British government in processing his visa.
The motion also comes two weeks after the Trade Union Congress conference passed a similar motion that reaffirmed their commitment to working closely with Palestine Solidarity Campaigns and to take on UK companies complicit in Israel’s violations of international law and human rights.
Ben Jamal, Director of Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: “The Palestinian people have called for global solidarity in response to the assault by Israel, supported by Trump, on their collective rights. Today the Labour Party has responded to that call by passing a motion that commits the party to end the UK’s financial and military complicity with Israel’s oppression.
Labour party members have said in one voice to the Palestinian people – we stand with you in your fight for justice. What is required now is for this crucial motion, passed overwhelmingly by members, to be translated into official party policy as we move towards the next general election.”
The motion also commits the Party to apply international law to all trade with Israel, including to stop all arms trade with Israel that is used in the violation of Palestinian human rights.
Last year, for the first time in history, Labour Conference debated a motion on Palestine which was passed resoundingly amidst a sea of Palestinian flags, in a mass demonstration of public solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The 2018 motion reaffirmed that the core of the Palestinian conflict and at the heart of the Palestinian cause is the dispossession suffered by Palestinians in 1948 during the Nakba, when 750000 were expelled or forced to flee from their homes.
The passing of the motion today comes the day after a packed out fringe meeting hosted by Palestine Solidarity Campaign featuring speeches from Diane Abbott MP, Lisa Nandy MP, speakers from Unite and UNISON unions as well as a live video link with BDS movement co-founder Omar Barghouti, who was prevented from attending in person due to an unexplained abnormal delay by the British government in processing his visa.
The motion also comes two weeks after the Trade Union Congress conference passed a similar motion that reaffirmed their commitment to working closely with Palestine Solidarity Campaigns and to take on UK companies complicit in Israel’s violations of international law and human rights.
Ben Jamal, Director of Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: “The Palestinian people have called for global solidarity in response to the assault by Israel, supported by Trump, on their collective rights. Today the Labour Party has responded to that call by passing a motion that commits the party to end the UK’s financial and military complicity with Israel’s oppression.
Labour party members have said in one voice to the Palestinian people – we stand with you in your fight for justice. What is required now is for this crucial motion, passed overwhelmingly by members, to be translated into official party policy as we move towards the next general election.”
22 sept 2019
An election poster of Benny Gantz is seen ahead of the General elections in Jerusalem on 16 September 16, 2019
Experience has taught Palestinians not to pay heed to Israeli elections. But to every rule there is an exception.
Although it is still true that no Israeli Zionist leader has ever been kind to the Palestinian people, the dynamics of the latest Israeli elections on September 17 are likely to affect the Occupied Palestinian Territories in a profound way.
Indeed, the outcome of the elections seems to have ushered in a new age in Israel, ideologically and politically. But the same claim can also be made regarding its potential influence on Palestinians, who should now brace themselves for war in Gaza and annexation in the West Bank.
Former chief of general staff of the Israeli army, Benny Gantz, who had orchestrated the destructive war on the besieged Gaza Strip in 2014, is likely to be tasked with the job of forming Israel’s new government. Gantz had recently boasted about sending “parts of Gaza back to the Stone Age”.
There is little discussion in Israeli, and, by extension, western media of Gantz’s numerous war crimes during the Gaza war.
The focus is mainly placed on the fact that he seems to have finally dislodged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from a position he had held for nearly 13 years, a scenario that was, until recently, deemed inconceivable.
The leader of the Kahol Lavan (Blue and White) party had plotted the ouster of Netanyahu back in January 2018, when he formed the Israeli Resilience Party. Following several political mergers and a strong showing in the previous elections in April, the centrist politician has finally edged past Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party in the most recent elections.
With 33 seats in the Israeli Knesset – compared to Likud’s 31 seats – Gantz now needs a broad coalition to rule Israel.
The vehemently anti-Palestinian politician has made it clear that he will not enter into a coalition with the Joint List, the alliance of various Palestinian Arab political parties. The latter has managed to achieve an outstanding 13 seats, making it the third largest political force in Israel.
But, according to Gantz’s previous statements, the inclusion of Arab parties in the coalition is out of the question, despite the fact that Ayman Odeh, the leader of the Joint List, had indicated his willingness to join a Gantz-led government.
It is now likely that Gantz will seek a coalition government that includes the Likud, along with Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu.
The country’s former ultra-nationalist defense minister, Lieberman, with 8 seats, has restored his previous “kingmaker” status. He, too, is keen on such a coalition. Gantz is open to such a scenario, with one condition: Netanyahu should stay out.
While the “king of Israel” has finally been dethroned, however, Palestinians have little to rejoice over. True, Netanyahu has destroyed any chance of a just peace in Palestine through the entrenching of the illegal military occupation and inhumane siege of the West Bank and Gaza. However, future possibilities are equally, if not even more, grim.
Once upon a time, outright discussion of annexing large parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territories were relegated to the margins of Israel’s political discourse. This is no longer the case. The call for annexing major illegal settlement blocs, along with the Jordan Valley, is now a common demand made by all of Israel’s main political parties, including Gantz’s own.
Gantz, possibly Israel’s next prime minister, has repeatedly made it clear that he would be strengthening, rather than dismantling, the illegal settlements in the West Bank, and has even attempted to take ownership of Netanyahu’s pledge to annex the Jordan Valley.
“We are happy that the Prime Minister has come around to adopt the Blue and White plan to recognize the Jordan valley,” Gantz’s party said in a statement shortly before election day.
The annexation of these areas would amount to illegally seizing more than 60 percent of the West Bank.
Given that Israel has successively normalized the concept of annexation in its own, political discourse, and that it has already received an American nod on the matter, it is then a matter of time before such a step takes place.
The likelihood of it taking place sooner than later is that a broad, center-right-ultranationalist coalition would serve as an insurance to Israel’s leadership, in case of a political or security fallout once the decision is taken and enforced.
That political insurance simply means that no single party or official would bear the blame or shoulder the consequences alone, should Palestinians rebel or the international community push back against the flagrant Israeli violation of international law.
The same logic is applicable to the case of a future war on Gaza.
Israel has been itching for a major military campaign in Gaza since its last onslaught of 2014. Since then, Gaza has been bombed numerous times, and hundreds of innocent lives have been lost. But Netanyahu steered clear of an all-out war, fearing a high death toll among his soldiers and the blame game that often follows such military misadventures.
Mandated by a large coalition, bringing together Israeli army generals, right-wing politicians and ideologues, Gantz would feel far more empowered to go to war, especially since the former military chief has repeatedly accused Netanyahu of being “weak” on Gaza, “terrorism” and security.
If a future war goes as planned, Gantz would be happy to claim the accolades of victory; if it does not, due to Gaza’s stiff resistance, the political damage is likely to remain minimal.
When it comes to war, Gantz is Netanyahu on steroids. He has participated, orchestrated or led many military campaigns, including ones aimed at suppressing any resistance in Gaza, in Lebanon and during the previous popular uprisings.
For Gantz, war is the answer, as indicated by one of his campaign slogans, “Only the strong survive.”
While it is typical, and understandable, to dismiss all Israeli governments as one and the same, a Gantz-led government will possess the needed political legitimacy, popular mandate and strategic tools to achieve a job that Netanyahu himself couldn’t finish: a war on Gaza, and annexation of the West Bank.
Experience has taught Palestinians not to pay heed to Israeli elections. But to every rule there is an exception.
Although it is still true that no Israeli Zionist leader has ever been kind to the Palestinian people, the dynamics of the latest Israeli elections on September 17 are likely to affect the Occupied Palestinian Territories in a profound way.
Indeed, the outcome of the elections seems to have ushered in a new age in Israel, ideologically and politically. But the same claim can also be made regarding its potential influence on Palestinians, who should now brace themselves for war in Gaza and annexation in the West Bank.
Former chief of general staff of the Israeli army, Benny Gantz, who had orchestrated the destructive war on the besieged Gaza Strip in 2014, is likely to be tasked with the job of forming Israel’s new government. Gantz had recently boasted about sending “parts of Gaza back to the Stone Age”.
There is little discussion in Israeli, and, by extension, western media of Gantz’s numerous war crimes during the Gaza war.
The focus is mainly placed on the fact that he seems to have finally dislodged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from a position he had held for nearly 13 years, a scenario that was, until recently, deemed inconceivable.
The leader of the Kahol Lavan (Blue and White) party had plotted the ouster of Netanyahu back in January 2018, when he formed the Israeli Resilience Party. Following several political mergers and a strong showing in the previous elections in April, the centrist politician has finally edged past Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party in the most recent elections.
With 33 seats in the Israeli Knesset – compared to Likud’s 31 seats – Gantz now needs a broad coalition to rule Israel.
The vehemently anti-Palestinian politician has made it clear that he will not enter into a coalition with the Joint List, the alliance of various Palestinian Arab political parties. The latter has managed to achieve an outstanding 13 seats, making it the third largest political force in Israel.
But, according to Gantz’s previous statements, the inclusion of Arab parties in the coalition is out of the question, despite the fact that Ayman Odeh, the leader of the Joint List, had indicated his willingness to join a Gantz-led government.
It is now likely that Gantz will seek a coalition government that includes the Likud, along with Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu.
The country’s former ultra-nationalist defense minister, Lieberman, with 8 seats, has restored his previous “kingmaker” status. He, too, is keen on such a coalition. Gantz is open to such a scenario, with one condition: Netanyahu should stay out.
While the “king of Israel” has finally been dethroned, however, Palestinians have little to rejoice over. True, Netanyahu has destroyed any chance of a just peace in Palestine through the entrenching of the illegal military occupation and inhumane siege of the West Bank and Gaza. However, future possibilities are equally, if not even more, grim.
Once upon a time, outright discussion of annexing large parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territories were relegated to the margins of Israel’s political discourse. This is no longer the case. The call for annexing major illegal settlement blocs, along with the Jordan Valley, is now a common demand made by all of Israel’s main political parties, including Gantz’s own.
Gantz, possibly Israel’s next prime minister, has repeatedly made it clear that he would be strengthening, rather than dismantling, the illegal settlements in the West Bank, and has even attempted to take ownership of Netanyahu’s pledge to annex the Jordan Valley.
“We are happy that the Prime Minister has come around to adopt the Blue and White plan to recognize the Jordan valley,” Gantz’s party said in a statement shortly before election day.
The annexation of these areas would amount to illegally seizing more than 60 percent of the West Bank.
Given that Israel has successively normalized the concept of annexation in its own, political discourse, and that it has already received an American nod on the matter, it is then a matter of time before such a step takes place.
The likelihood of it taking place sooner than later is that a broad, center-right-ultranationalist coalition would serve as an insurance to Israel’s leadership, in case of a political or security fallout once the decision is taken and enforced.
That political insurance simply means that no single party or official would bear the blame or shoulder the consequences alone, should Palestinians rebel or the international community push back against the flagrant Israeli violation of international law.
The same logic is applicable to the case of a future war on Gaza.
Israel has been itching for a major military campaign in Gaza since its last onslaught of 2014. Since then, Gaza has been bombed numerous times, and hundreds of innocent lives have been lost. But Netanyahu steered clear of an all-out war, fearing a high death toll among his soldiers and the blame game that often follows such military misadventures.
Mandated by a large coalition, bringing together Israeli army generals, right-wing politicians and ideologues, Gantz would feel far more empowered to go to war, especially since the former military chief has repeatedly accused Netanyahu of being “weak” on Gaza, “terrorism” and security.
If a future war goes as planned, Gantz would be happy to claim the accolades of victory; if it does not, due to Gaza’s stiff resistance, the political damage is likely to remain minimal.
When it comes to war, Gantz is Netanyahu on steroids. He has participated, orchestrated or led many military campaigns, including ones aimed at suppressing any resistance in Gaza, in Lebanon and during the previous popular uprisings.
For Gantz, war is the answer, as indicated by one of his campaign slogans, “Only the strong survive.”
While it is typical, and understandable, to dismiss all Israeli governments as one and the same, a Gantz-led government will possess the needed political legitimacy, popular mandate and strategic tools to achieve a job that Netanyahu himself couldn’t finish: a war on Gaza, and annexation of the West Bank.
21 sept 2019
Kuwait's permanent representative at the UN in New York, Ambassador Mansour al-Otaibi, said that the international inaction has clearly encouraged Israel to continue its intransigence and defiance of the will of the international law and United Nations' resolutions, according to Kuwait’s Kuna news agency.
During a speech he delivered at the Security Council session on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, Otaibi said that UN security council resolution 2334; concerning the Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, demands that Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and fully respect all its legal obligations in this regard.
He stressed that Israel’s continuation of expanding and building of illegal settlement in the occupied State of Palestine, including East Jerusalem, sends a clear message that it is determined to continue to do so.
He said that the building of new settlements, expanding of existing ones, and annexing West Bank land, including East Jerusalem, undermines the two-state solution and the chances to establish the state of Palestine based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
The ambassador said that measures and policies taken and pursued by Israel with disregard of world opinion was clearly reflected in its recent announcement to approve the establishment of more than 2,300 housing units in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Otaibi stated that this latest step was followed by the recent provocative declaration of the intention to annex territories from the occupied West Bank in 1967 in flagrant violation of international law, the UN Charter and the relevant international resolutions, including Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, said Kuna agency.
He pointed to the Israel’s deduction from the Palestinian Authority’s tax revenues, pressures on UNRWA and the targeting of demonstrators participating in the Great March of Return with live ammunition, which he said could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
During a speech he delivered at the Security Council session on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, Otaibi said that UN security council resolution 2334; concerning the Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, demands that Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and fully respect all its legal obligations in this regard.
He stressed that Israel’s continuation of expanding and building of illegal settlement in the occupied State of Palestine, including East Jerusalem, sends a clear message that it is determined to continue to do so.
He said that the building of new settlements, expanding of existing ones, and annexing West Bank land, including East Jerusalem, undermines the two-state solution and the chances to establish the state of Palestine based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
The ambassador said that measures and policies taken and pursued by Israel with disregard of world opinion was clearly reflected in its recent announcement to approve the establishment of more than 2,300 housing units in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Otaibi stated that this latest step was followed by the recent provocative declaration of the intention to annex territories from the occupied West Bank in 1967 in flagrant violation of international law, the UN Charter and the relevant international resolutions, including Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, said Kuna agency.
He pointed to the Israel’s deduction from the Palestinian Authority’s tax revenues, pressures on UNRWA and the targeting of demonstrators participating in the Great March of Return with live ammunition, which he said could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The Hamas Movement has said that the Sabra and Shatila massacre in Lebanon confirms that the Israeli occupation state is a threat to humanity.
In remarks during his participation in a Gaza border rally on Friday, senior Hamas official Ismail Radwan said that the Palestinian people reject all resettlement and alternate homeland plans and accept no substitute for Palestine.
“The blood of the martyrs will not go in vain and we will not rest unless the criminals receive punishment,” Radwan added.
The Hamas official urged the international community to take legal action against Israeli criminals at the International Criminal Court to hold them accountable for the heinous crime that had been committed in 1982 against children, women and elderlies in Sabra and Shatila.
In remarks during his participation in a Gaza border rally on Friday, senior Hamas official Ismail Radwan said that the Palestinian people reject all resettlement and alternate homeland plans and accept no substitute for Palestine.
“The blood of the martyrs will not go in vain and we will not rest unless the criminals receive punishment,” Radwan added.
The Hamas official urged the international community to take legal action against Israeli criminals at the International Criminal Court to hold them accountable for the heinous crime that had been committed in 1982 against children, women and elderlies in Sabra and Shatila.
