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PRESS STATEMENT
Date: 24 June. 2002
Ref: 87/2002
PCHR’s delegation has deliberated its testimony today morning before the UN Committee concerning Israeli practices against the rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs in the Occupied Territories.
The Committee, which Israel formally rejected to receive, has started its mission today morning in Cairo. The Centre is represented by the lawyer Iyad al ‘Alami, Legal Unit Coordinator, and the researcher Hamdi Shaqqura, Democratic Development Unit.
In his testimony before the Committee, al ‘Alami has highlighted the destruction activities and acts committed by the Israeli occupying forces against civilian properties in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in particular in the Gaza Strip. In this regard, he mentioned that the Israeli occupying forces have demolished more than 560 houses in the Gaza Strip, in addition to tens of factories and 15.000 donums of agricultural land. Al ‘Alami asserted that these activities are committed by the Israeli occupying forces without any military necessity or justification, and come as retaliation acts against the civilians.
Al ‘Alami highlighted also the legal assistance offered by the Centre to hundred of families who are victims of these acts. Al ‘Alami clarified that the Israeli occupying forces, backed by the Israeli government, denied these families the right to receive compensation. He added that the Israeli occupation forces violate the Israeli High Court decision to stop the demolition activities. At the same time, he mentioned that the Israeli High Court does not do anything to stop these violations, a matter which reflects a form of conspiracy between the judicial bodies and the executive bodies in Israel.
Al ‘Alami uses a number of cases as evidence to prove his arguing. In this regard, he mentioned that the Centre has appealed to the Israeli High Court against the policy of house demolition, and he added that the Court issued a decision committing the Israeli occupying forces to grant the owners of the houses a period of 48 hours before demolishing their houses, in order to give them the time to appeal. Despite that, al ‘Alami asserted that tens of the cases followed by the Centre prove that the demolitions take place without any previous notification, and under circumstances where the families are unable to collect their properties and belongings before the demolition takes place.
In addition, al ‘Alami mentioned the deteriorating condition of Palestinian detainees. In this regard he mentioned that the Israeli occupying forces committed several waves of arrest through which they arrested thousands of Palestinians. He added that these detainees are subject to torture, degrading and harsh treatment. They are also detained under inhuman circumstances and conditions, in which they are denied the right to receive a legal assistance and other rights guaranteed by the international human rights standards, including the right to receive regular family visits.
In last April, al ‘Alami added, the Israeli occupying forces commander has issued a military order through which he granted a wide mandate for the Israeli occupying soldiers to detain Palestinians for a period of 18 days without providing them to the court.
Shaqqura, Coordinator of Democratic Development Unit, has highlighted, in his testimony, the unprecedented escalation in war crimes and the grave violations committed by the Israeli occupying forces against the Palestinian human rights. He affirmed that the last two years have formed a model that reflects the absence of the international will and the double standard in treating Israel as a state above law, which allow Israel to go forward and escalate its war crimes against Palestinians. Shaqqura added that Israel has employed its military and lethal machinery against Palestinian civilians and their properties in an indiscriminate, excessive and disproportionate way. He added that many of the acts committed by Israeli occupying forces are described as retaliation acts and usually the victims of these acts are the innocent civilians. In this regard, he mentioned the events of the shelling committed by Israeli occupying forces a few days ago in Jenin, which lead to the death of five civilians, among which there were three children.
Shaqqura also highlighted the Israeli occupying forces excessive and disproportionate use of force against Palestinian civilians. He mentioned several cases followed by the Centre, and informed the Committee about hundreds of complaints submitted by the Centre to the concerned Israeli bodies to investigate these crimes. Usually, he added, Israel does not carry out proper investigation and in the rare cases in which the Israeli occupying forces are compelled to carry out an investigation, Israeli government hide the results of these investigation and refuse to bring those who are involved in the crimes before the trial. At the end of his testimony Shaqqura called for a more effective role for the UN to fulfil its legal, moral and political commitment toward the Palestinians.
The Centre delegation has participated in the listening session for the European Parliament’s Members to discuss the Israeli violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The session, organised by European and international organisations, which took place in the European Parliament Headquarter in Bruxelles, came within the context of the efforts aimed at pressuring the European Union’s States to implement the Euro-Israeli Partnership agreement. Shaqqura has delivered before the Members a speech in which he presented the Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights, and called upon European Union’s states to adopt measures against Israel to stop these violations. These measures include the suspension of the agreement, to stop the import of products from Israeli settlements and to bring Israeli war criminals before the European judiciary. He reminded the European States on their status as High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, and on their legal, moral and political responsibilities to adopt the necessary measures to secure the protection for Palestinian civilians.
“End”
