57th Session of the UN Human Rights Council

9th September 2024 - 11th October 2024

Item 7: General Debate on the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories

Statement of The International Organization For the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD)

Delivered by Natalia Venegas

October 3rd, 2024

Thank you,

We stand here today to reaffirm our unwavering support for the Palestinian people. Nearly a year has passed since the events of October 7th, and the situation in Palestine has only worsened. According to the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as of August 15th, Gaza has suffered the loss of 40,000 Palestinian lives, with an average of 130 deaths every day over the past 10 months. Despite the advancements in international law, these have fallen short of ending the suffering of the Palestinians.

It has been almost a year since respect for international law has been gravely undermined. The scale of destruction by the Israeli military—targeting homes, hospitals, schools, and places of worship—is deeply shocking. The international community glimpsed hope for the with the International Court of Justice’s provisional measures. The Court condemned Israel's settlement regime, annexation, and exploitation of resources, finding these actions amount to racial segregation and apartheid. Furthermore, it mandated Israel to end its occupation, provide full reparations to victims, and facilitate the return of displaced people. These steps are crucial to prevent acts that may amount to genocide against the Palestinians.

EAFORD and Geneva International Centre for Justice stand firmly with the Palestinian people. We strongly condemn the systematic violations of international law, and we urge the Security Council to overcome political deadlock and adopt binding resolutions that effectively protect the Palestinians. We demand an immediate ceasefire and reaffirm the necessity for Israel to halt actions amounting to genocide, withdraw from illegally occupied territories, dismantle the apartheid regime, and recognise the Palestinian people's right to self-determination.

Thank you.

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