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PALESTINIAN CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
PRESS RELEASE
Ref: 46/2003
Date: 17 April 2003
UN Commission on Human Rights Condemns Israel
The Commission on Human Rights has adopted two further resolutions condemning Israel’s violations of the human rights of the Palestinian people. The Commission, which meets each year in Geneva for a five week period, adopted this week one resolution specifically condemning the illegal Israeli settlements, and a second more general resolution condemning a range of violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
The two resolutions were adopted during the 59th session in Geneva on Tuesday following several weeks of discussion amongst the 53 member Commission and observer states regarding human rights issues throughout the world. As every year, debate on human rights in the OPTs was lengthy and heated, and included presentations from the Special Rapporteur to the OPT, Prof. John Dugard.
Resolution L18 (UN Doc. E/CN.4/2003/L.18) condemned illegal Israeli settlements as a “major obstacle to peace” and “the creation of an independent, viable, sovereign and democratic Palestinian State”. Fifty member states voted in favour, with only the United States opposing the resolution.
The second resolution (UN Doc. E/CN.4/2003/L.12) condemned the wide-ranging human rights perpetrated by the Israeli military in the OPTs, including mass killings of Palestinian civilians; assassinations; settlements; expropriation of land and homes; mass arrests, and torture of detainees; attacks on medical personnel and equipment; sieges of Palestinian towns and villages; house demolition. This resolution was adopted by 33 states with five opposing votes (Australia, Canada, United States, Germany and Peru).
A third resolution specifically addressing human rights violations by the Israeli authorities in the Occupied Syrian Golan was also adopted by the Commission.
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights submitted 6 written interventions to this session of the Commission pertaining to human rights issues such as torture, childrens rights, killings, closures, house demolitions, and the right of self-determination. PCHR’s representative was present throughout the main discussion on human rights violations in the OPTs and made a number of oral presentations to the Commission.
To view PCHR’s submissions to the Commission, please visit our website at www.pchrgaza.org.
Public Document
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