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| PCHR Palestinian Centre for Human Rights PRESS RELEASE |
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Ref: 06/2005
Date: 04 January 2005
Time: 11:00 GMT
PCHR – EU and UN High Commissioner must act to allow free and fair elections, to stop humanitarian crises.
In a series of letters, sent today, to the High Commissioner for Human Rights and to the Government of Luxembourg, in their capacity of President of the European Union, PCHR has called for immediate intervention to stop the further deterioration of the humanitarian crises at Rafah international crossing point.
The Israeli military authorities have closed the crossing point since the 12th of December, preventing all passage in or out of the Gaza Strip. Rafah crossing point is the only place which Palestinian civilians have access to the outside world. The closure of the crossing point has a serious and detrimental effect on the economic, social, cultural and political life in the Gaza Strip.
PCHR is particularly concerned at the effect which the closure will have on the upcoming Palestinian elections. The vast majority of those civilians, who are denied passage into Gaza Strip, are of voting age, in accordance with Palestinian law. Preventing them from crossing into the Gaza strip also deprives them of their right, granted under the Universal Declaration for Human Rights, to participate in the government of their country through elections.
PCHR believes that the act of closing Rafah international crossing point will disenfranchise around 3% of the total Gaza electorate.
In the two letters PCHR emphasised and outlined the legal responsibilities of Israel as the occupying power under international humanitarian law as well as under international human rights law. Under these internationally accepted treaties the occupying power is obliged to treat people with respect, not to arbitrarily deprive civilians of their liberty and to facilitate the right to health, work and education.
Humanitarian concerns have been expressed for those civilians who are detained on the Egyptian side of the crossing point by Egyptian border police. Many thousands of civilians who have passed through the Egyptian security procedures are being prevented from passing through to Gaza by the Israeli authorities. They are also being prevented from leaving the area of the crossing point which is under the control of Egyptian security services. These civilians, the majority of them Palestinian refugees, are now receiving humanitarian assistance from the Mosques and benevolent religious organisations as they have no other access to income or resources.
PCHR calls on the international community to immediately comply with their obligations to “ensure respect” by Israel with the convention. PCHR further requests that the EU immediately intervene with the Israeli authorities to ensure the safe passage of civilians in and out of the Gaza strip. PCHR also calls on the newly appointed High Commissioner for Human Rights to take immediate public steps to assist Pa Palestinian civilians in this crises.
Public Document
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For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 – 2825893
PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail: pchr@pchrgaza.org, Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
