Press Release

PCHR receives the UN Special Rpporteur to the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories

Ref: 131/2000

Date: October 14, 2000

The UN Special Rapporteur to the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories Mr. Georgio Giacomelli, accompanied by Dr. Amin Mekki, representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; Josef Shechla and Darka Topali visited PCHR as part of his mission to the occupied Palestinian territories to evaluate the current situation and report to the UN Commission for Human Rights, which will convene a special session in October 17-19, 2000 in Geneva to solely discuss the conditions of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Raji Sourani, Director of PCHR, and PCHR’s staff met with Mr. Giacomelli and briefed him on the Israeli blatant violations of human rights, specially in the current crisis, providing him with legal documents and reports on the Israeli occupation forces’ crimes against Palestinian civilians, in which 91 people have been killed and more than 2300 injured.

Sourani emphasized the following legal demands to Mr. Giacomelli:

1. A clear and crucial international condemnation of bloody, savage actions by the Israeli occupation forces and settlers against Palestinian civilians, and calling on Israel to immediately halt such actions in the occupied Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem.

 

2. Providing international protection for the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territories through international forces and the de jure implementation of international law.

 

3. The de jure implementation of Geneva Fourth Convention to protect Palestinian civilians in the occupied Palestinian territories, and urging the High Contracting to reconvene the adjourned conference to pressure Israel through practical and diplomatic steps to implement de jure the Convention in the occupied Palestinian territories.

 

4. Establishing an independent international commission of inquiry to investigate the Israeli occupation forces’ crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories.

 

5. Sending the UN special rapporteurs to the occupied Palestinian territories, specially the UN Special Rapporteur for the rights of the Child, the UN Special Rapporteur for Extrajudicial Killing and the UN Special Rapporteur for Judiciary,

 

6. the UN Special Rapporteur for Non-Discrimination, and other relevant UN special rapporteurs.

 

7. Calling on the member European states to activate Article 2 of EU-Israel Association Agreement, which calls on Israel to respect human rights, and to adopt actions against Israel.

 

8. Increasing the presence of the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) to protect civilians.

Sourani called also on UNRWA to increase its services to assist the Palestinian people in the current situation. He strongly criticized UNRWA for reducing its services and staff in the Gaza Strip in the past few years, and transferring its administration to Amman. Sourani condemned Kofi Anan’s recent selective statements on the current situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.

PCHR called on Mr. Giacomelli to consider the meeting as a testimony by PCHR before the UN Commission for Human Rights, as PCHR cannot be present to deliver its testimony directly before the Commission, because of the closure imposed on the Gaza Strip.

Sourani thanked Mr. Giacomelli for his insistence to visit the occupied Palestinian territories despite the pressure to cancel such visit.