Spokesperson for Volker Türk in Geneva, Jeremy Laurence, told
journalists that an already catastrophic situation could
“slide deeper into the abyss” in the coming days if
Israeli forces make their move on the southern border city,
carrying through with their threat to invade, unless Hamas
militants hand over remaining hostages by the start of Ramadan.
The holy month for Muslims worldwide begins this weekend, a
“period that is meant to honour peace and tolerance”, said Mr.
Laurence.
Gazans who have nowhere else to run to, are living in “deplorable
sub-human conditions” in Rafah, he added: “Any ground assault on
Rafah would incur massive loss of life and would heighten
the risk of further atrocity crimes.
“This must not be allowed to happen. We also fear that further
Israeli restrictions on access by Palestinians to East Jerusalem
and Al Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan could further inflame
tensions.”
The UN human rights chief repeated that “there must be an
immediate end to this conflict and that the killing and
destruction must stop.”
Release hostages unconditionally
The hostages seized by Hamas and other militants during the 7
October terror attacks have endured 150 days of suffering and
torment, Mr. Türk added calling for their unconditional release
and return.
In continuing its offensive, Israel, as the occupying power,
“must – we repeat - fully comply with its obligations under
international humanitarian law to provide the increasingly
desperate civilian population of Gaza with the necessary food and
medical supplies, or, if it is unable to do so, ensure that the
population has access to critical life-saving humanitarian
assistance commensurate with their needs”, Mr. Laurence stressed.
Furthermore, border crossings and corridors must be fully opened
and steps must be taken to ensure the free and secure movement of
aid convoys to civilians wherever they are located.
Settlement expansion violates international law
Mr. Türk on Friday also deplored Israel’s
latest decision to greenlight the construction of a further 3,476
homes in the occupied West Bank, saying “the drastic acceleration
in settlement building is exacerbating long-standing
patterns of oppression, violence and discrimination
against Palestinians”
“Reports this week that Israel plans to build a further 3,476
settler homes in Maale Adumim, Efrat and Kedar fly in the face of
international law,” he added.
In a report to the Human Rights Council, Türk
said that the establishment and continuing expansion of
settlements amounts to Israeli transferring its own civilian
population into the territories that it occupies - a war crime
under international law.
The report covering the period from 1 November 2022 to 31 October
last year details that around 24,300 housing units within
existing Israeli settlements in the West Bank were advanced, the
highest on record since monitoring began in 2017. This included
approximately 9,670 units in East Jerusalem.
The report finds that the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu’s
Government appear aligned, to an unprecedented extent,
with the goals of the Israeli settler movement to expand
long-term control over the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,
and to steadily integrate this occupied territory into the State
of Israel.
“They also run counter to the views of a broad range of States
laid out during hearings just two weeks ago at the International
Court of Justice (ICJ),” the High Commissioner
said, referring to the hearings tabled by South Africa examining
the legal consequences of Israeli policies and practices in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Over 600 settler attacks
“The West Bank is already in crisis”, Mr. Türk
said. Yet, settler violence and settlement-related violations
have reached shocking new levels, and risk eliminating any
practical possibility of establishing a viable Palestinian
State”.
Latest UN figures show that, since 7 October, there have been
603 settler attacks against Palestinians. A
total of 1,222 Palestinians from 19 herding communities have been
displaced as a direct result of settler violence.
Since 7 October, UN rights office OHCHR has documented
nine Palestinians killed by settlers using
firearms. A further 396 have been killed by Israeli
security forces, and two killed by either Israeli security forces
or settlers.
Since 7 October, 592 people, including 282 children, have
been displaced in the West Bank, including East
Jerusalem, after their homes were demolished due to the lack of
Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible to
obtain, OHCHR said.
