Ref: 38/2006
Date: 25 July 2006
PCHR Director Meets with UN Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process
On Tuesday morning, 25 July 2006, Mr. Raji Sourani, Director of PCHR, met at the United Nations Special Coordinator Office in Gaza City with Mr. Jan Egeland, the UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and Mr. Alvaro de Soto, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. Ms. Karen Konig Abu Zayed, the UNRWA Commissioner, also attended the meeting.
During the meeting, Mr. Sourani detailed the disastrous situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), highlighting attacks and inhuman practices and policies against Palestinian civilians. Mr. Sourani stressed the following points:
· Attacks in the OPT are not merely violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention, rather they constitute a war waged by Israel against Palestinian civilians. This war has included the destruction of the civilian infrastructure, including an electricity generation plant and a number of bridges, and imposing a strict siege on the Gaza Strip – all border crossings have been closed the movement of persons and goods to and from the Gaza Strip has been prohibited. This war waged by Israel is a war against civilians, in disregard for international humanitarian law. Israel has been encouraged by the US support and the European silence to launch more attacks against Palestinian civilians and then against Lebanon.
· Israeli Occupation Forces have made use of the current war in Lebanon to escalate attacks in the OPT, especially the Gaza Strip.
· There is a question raised for human rights activists and international and inter-state organizations with regard to the kind of the world we want; is it a world governed by the rule of law or by the rule of jungles? What is happening now in Palestine and Lebanon is against the rule of law and must be immediately stopped.
· The UN should consider the Palestinian demand concerning providing protection for the Palestinian civilian population in the OPT, as the Palestinian people have been badly in need for an international force deployed in the OPT to prevent and deter Israeli Occupation Forces from committing systematic crimes against Palestinian civilians.
It is unacceptable to deploy a strong international protection force at the northern border of Israel, while leaving Palestinian civilians, who suffer from the occupation, without any protection.
At the end the meeting, Mr. Sourani thanked the United Nations for its efforts and positions, particularly the UN Secretary-General’s position declared last Thursday. He also called for making more efforts to protect civilians.
