UN Human Rights Council-appointed experts expressed deep concern
on Friday over Israeli military interference in the work of a
well-known, independent Palestinian child rights organization, in
the occupied West Bank.
During a night-time raid at the end of July, the Israeli military
seized computers, hard drives and other confidential materials
from the offices of the NGO, Defense for Children
International-Palestine (DCIP) in Al-Bireh, the four independent
UN human rights experts said, calling for the immediate return of
the documents and office equipment.
“The indispensable work of Palestinian, Israeli and
international civil society organizations has provided a measure
of much-needed accountability in documenting and
scrutinizing the dispiriting human rights trends in the occupied
Palestinian territory”, they said in a statement.
Crucial work
The Special Rapporteurs noted that in recent years, DCIP has
“critically and reliably” reported on patterns of arrests and the
maiming and killings of Palestinian children by the Israeli
military in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and
Gaza.
“The silencing or hindering of these activities violates the
fundamental human rights of expression and association, which
Israel has committed itself to uphold through its ratification of
the two 1966 International Covenants”, they spelled out,
referring to one on Civil and Political
Rights and the other on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights
Startling statistics
From the beginning of the year until the end of last month,
Israeli military forces have killed 11 Palestinian children in
the West Bank, according to the Office of the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
This figure is higher than the total recorded in all of 2020.
Moreover, during a conflict that erupted last May between Israel
and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza, a reported 67 Palestinian
children were killed in the occupied enclave.
“All civilian lives under occupation are protected under
international law. This is particularly true for the rights of
children”, the experts reminded.
‘Arms’ length’ probes
Against the backdrop of long-standing criticisms over an absence
of “transparent and impartial investigations” into apparent
violations of Palestinian human rights by the Israeli military,
the UN experts called upon the Government of Israel to “work with
the international community” to establish an impartial body to
conduct “transparent, arm’s length and public investigations”
into the deaths.
They stressed that the probes must be consistent with
international law and apply subsequent lessons learned to
“strenuously avoid such a pattern of tragedy in the future”.
Government comportment
The UN experts called upon the Israeli Government to fully
respect the Declaration on Human
Rights Defenders, which was adopted in 1998 by the UN General
Assembly, saying that an occupying power with a true commitment
to human rights would “protect and encourage” human rights
defenders, and “not ostracize, harass or silence them”.
Moreover, that power would respect the “critical scrutiny” of
their work – even if the defenders “excoriated” their conduct.
And if conducting “a long-term military occupation”, the Special
Rapporteurs said the occupying power should accept human rights
infringement “only as a last measure…in a minimally impairing
manner that is subject to meaningful judicial review”.
The Special Rapporteurs who signed onto the stament were Michael
Lynk, on the situation of human
rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967;
Irene Khan, on the promotion and
protection of the right to freedom of expression; Mr.Clément
Nyaletsossi Voule, on rights to freedom of
peaceful assembly and of association; and Mary Lawlor,
on the situation of human
rights defenders.
They are neither UN staff nor paid for their work.
