A committee of United Nations experts has completed its annual
evaluation of the situation of people in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories, hearing serious concerns about Israel’s human rights
record, including the deteriorating situation in Gaza, inadequate
protection for detained children and increasing obstacles being
faced by human rights defenders and journalists.
In a news release, the UN Special Committee to Investigate
Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian
People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories said that
during its fact-finding visit to Amman, Jordan, its members heard
testimony on the expansion of settlements, the ongoing use of
administrative detention, excessive use of force and possible
extrajudicial killings, and lack of accountability. “Based on
this testimony, the Committee clearly observed that the Israeli
authorities continue with policies and practices that negatively
impact the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory,” it said in the release.
The Committee also heard troubling testimony regarding the arrest
and detention of children, including cases of reported
ill-treatment and lack of adequate protection.
Other testimony described grave concern over the situation of
Palestinian detainees reportedly living in difficult conditions
in Israeli prisons, as well as the continued use of
administrative detention.
Other issues raised included the effects of the separation wall
on Palestinians’ rights, and the demolition of homes and other
structures in the West Bank including East Jerusalem, as well as
in the Syrian Golan. The use of punitive demolitions in the West
Bank including East Jerusalem was described as a form of
collective punishment.
Many organizations highlighted with concern the continued lack of
accountability for allegations of excessive use of force and
violations of international law by the Israeli forces, including
during the 2014 hostilities in Gaza. A number of organizations
emphasized that the lack of accountability further exacerbated
the cycle of violence.
Human rights defenders and journalists seeking to highlight
violations of human rights and humanitarian law told the
Committee that the space in which they were free to operate was
shrinking at an alarming rate. They reported cases of the
detention of peaceful demonstrators and the targeting of
journalists covering protests.
The news release also noted that the Government of Israel does
not recognize the Committee, which was therefore unable to speak
to the relevant Israeli authorities or access the occupied
territories.
The Committee will submit a full report on its mission and other
activities to the UN General Assembly in November 2017.
The Committee was established by the UN General Assembly in
December 1968 to examine the human rights situation in the
occupied Syrian Golan, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,
and the Gaza Strip. It is composed of three UN Member States: Sri
Lanka, Malaysia and Senegal.
