Joint statement for the Interactive Dialogue with the Commission
of Inquiry on the OPTs. Delivered by the UK's Human Rights
Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders.
"Mr President, this statement is on behalf of Australia, Canada,
New Zealand, Norway and the UK.
We regret that the Commission of Inquiry was established on an
open-ended basis, against usual practice. Nevertheless, we remain
committed to upholding human rights, and we support the
Commission in undertaking proportionate scrutiny of the situation
in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
We oppose the Israeli Government's escalating military action in
Gaza, and reject its intention to take control of the Gaza strip.
55,000 Palestinians have been killed, including many women and
children. The Israeli hostages held by Hamas continue to suffer
an unimaginable ordeal.
The human suffering in Gaza is intolerable; all of Gaza is at
risk of famine. We strongly urge Israel to enable food and other
critical supplies to reach people safely, and at scale, to
address increasing urgent needs. Attacks on UN and other aid
workers are outrageous and must be investigated.
In the West Bank, violent settlers assault and abuse
Palestinians. We have announced further sanctions on individuals
and entities promoting violence against these communities and
will continue to take appropriate action.
We continue to call on all parties to urgently agree to a
ceasefire/hostage deal; the best hope of ending the agony of the
hostages and their families, alleviating civilian suffering in
Gaza, ending Hamas control and supporting a two-state solution."
