October 10, 2010
PCHR’s Deputy Director Meets with British Delegation and Discusses the Developments of Human Rights Situation
PCHR’s Deputy Director Meets with British Delegation and Discusses the Developments of Human Rights Situation

 Ref: 75/2010

  

On Saturday, 09 October 2010, Mr. Jaber
Wishah, Deputy Director of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), met
with a British delegation, which included a number of parliamentarians: Lord
Norman Warner; Julian Huppert; David Ward; and Richard Graham. It also included two members of the Council
for Arab-British Understanding: Graham Bambrough; Ed Parsons.

 

During the meeting, Wishah talked
about developments of the human rights situation in the Gaza Strip and West
Bank under the ongoing Israeli practices and violations committed against the
Palestinian civilians. He particularly
discussed the ongoing siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, highlighting the disastrous
conditions and their impacts on various aspects of life, especially at the
educational and health levels, in addition to the destruction of the
infrastructure.

 

Wishah further addressed Israeli violations
of human rights in the West Bank, surveying that the policies of settlement,
creating Jewish majority, destruction of houses, and construction of the
Annexation Wall. He emphasized that it
is necessary for the international community to activate the recommendations of
international committees, which conducted several investigations into the
Israeli practices and violations.

 

Additionally, the meeting discussed
the conditions of Palestinian prisoners and what they experience in the Israeli
prisons, including the Israeli policies and detention conditions that violate
the minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners.

 

Speaking about the Israeli
violations, Wishah focused on the need for the international community to
seriously work towards the implementation of the Report of UN Fact Finding
Mission (Goldstone Report), confirming the obligations of the High Contracting
Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention in this regard. Wishah stressed also that it is necessary for
Europe not to reward Israel following the latest Israeli offensive on the Gaza
Strip, during which crimes and violation of human rights were committed,
through upgrading economic cooperation with Israel.

 

Wishah further tackled the internal
situation and political fragmentation, explaining its impacts on the lives of
civilians, and emphasizing PCHR’s stance that the political crisis can only be
resolved through political dialogue.

 

Finally, Wishah addressed peace
agreements that were signed between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, which
failed due to not fulfilling the human rights standards. He stressed that any coming political
agreement must be based on a solid foundation of human rights principles, and
include respect for these principles and what they provide of human dignity.