The 48th Session of the Human Rights Council

13 September to 8 October 2021

 General Debate - 1 October

ITEM 7: Report of the High Commissioner of water resources in Occupied Palestinian Territory,
including East Jerusalem, and High Commissioner oral update on Implementation of S-30/1, followed by General Debate

Oral Statement on behalf of the Meezan Center for Human Rights

Presented by: Tristan Arlaud

Thank you, President. 

We thank the High Commissioner for the presentation of the report and the oral update. We remain concerned about Israel’s omissions of war crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory last May, as pointed out by the Office during the 30th Special Session. Regardless of Israel’s ratification status of the Rome Statute and Human Rights Treaties, war crimes, resulting in the unnecessary and disproportionate mass killing of civilians, are crimes defined as serious violations of customary international humanitarian law. We stress that perpetrators should always be held accountable for such breaches. Those recently committed indiscriminate offensives should again serve as a wake-up call to end Israel’s impunity in its military operations as the occupying power in East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank.

Meezaan Center for Human Rights and Geneva International Center for Justice have appealed to this Council before that the protracted Israel-Palestine conflict needs to stop, with grave international human rights and humanitarian law breaches. We further condemn the use of water as a tool of domination in the region. As highlighted in the report, Israel's last bombing campaign in the Gaza strip led to severe restrictions in access to drinking-water. Such should alarm the international community. We reiterate that all actions restricting access to water and sanitation are inhumane, depriving the Palestinian population of an essential entitlement to the realization of all human rights according to General Assembly resolution 64/392.

Thank you very much.