Agenda Item:7 - human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories A/HRC/46/63, A/HRC/46/64, A/HRC/46/65

General Debate

Statement by: International-Lawyers.Org

Delivered by Irene Sacchetti / GICJ

18 March 2021

Thank you, President,

It has been more than a century of Palestinian oppression by a brutal occupation with tremendous systematic human rights and humanitarian law abuses. However, all our efforts to raise awareness of these violations are void if no genuine actions are taken to enable the Palestinian people to achieve their right of self-determination and be free from this long occupation.

Despite numerous UN resolutions, Israel, the occupying power, continues to carry out massive, serious and widespread violations of international law at an alarming rate. are deeply concerned over the ongoing large-scale house demolitions in the West Bank operated by the Israeli military, an unlawful means to forcibly uproot Palestinians from their territories. We believe that the international community needs to pressure Israel to stop all these practices which diminish Palestinians’ inalienable rights. Further, Israel’s blockade of Gaza is intensifying the sanitary and economic crisis, hindering access to healthcare and essential resources to nearly two million people during the present COVID-19 pandemic.  

International-Lawyers.Org and Geneva International Centre for Justice believe that Israel’s ongoing actions amount to the crime of genocide and we request the Council to initiate an investigation into this serious human rights violation. Such an investigation will assist the International Criminal Court that is now investigating individuals for crimes committed against Palestinians.

Thank you.

Justice, Human rights, Geneva, geneva4justice, GICJ, Geneva International Centre For Justice