GAZA: UNITED NATIONS TEAM ARRIVE IN GAZA TO BEGIN WEEK-LONG INQUIRY INTO HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS DURING CURRENT PALESTINIAN UPRISING

Record ID: 338353

  • Title: GAZA: UNITED NATIONS TEAM ARRIVE IN GAZA TO BEGIN WEEK-LONG INQUIRY INTO HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS DURING CURRENT PALESTINIAN UPRISING
  • Date: 10th February 2001
  • Summary: GAZA (FEBRUARY 10, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (NIGHTSHOTS) 1. SV: UNITED NATIONS TEAM ARRIVING AT MEETING 0.17 2. VARIOUS OF PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT YASSER ARAFAT AND HEAD OF DELEGATION JOHN DUGARD SITTING AROUND A TABLE (4 SHOTS) 0.45 3. SV: SECURITY OUTSIDE BUILDING 0.49 4. SV: DELEGATION AND ARAFAT EMERGE AFTER MEETING 0.55 5. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT YASSER ARAFAT SAYING: "And we put them in the whole picture of what we are suffering from the military escalation everywhere, the siege of our towns and villages and cities. The closure everywhere, the economic situation, where they are damaging many of our factories and hurt our neighbours who are working there and all this damages, and also violations, and the problems we are facing." 1.45 6. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) JOHN DUGARD, HEAD OF THE UNITED NATIONS DELEGATION SAYING: "It will be our task to investigate and to examine the situation as best we can. We will be speaking to many people in Palestine and we will be hoping to speak to to many people in Palestine and we will be hoping to speak to people in Israel. Unfortunately the Israeli government has indicated that it will not co-operate with us, but there are facts that can be found by other means and we will do our best to get a full picture of what is happening and on that basis we will make our report and make our recommendations." 2.22 7. SV: DELEGATION AND ARAFAT LEAVE 2.39 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 25th February 2001 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: GAZA
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Reuters ID: LVA3BISCDTRRO9EOZ4UIDR64VNXR
  • Story Text: A U.N. team has arrived in Gaza on Saturday (February
    10) to begin a week-long inquiry into human rights violations
    during the Palestinian uprising in which nearly 400 people
    died. The team started its mission by meeting with the
    Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.


    The team, headed by South African John Dugard, met
    with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat at his office in
    Gaza.

    U.N Commission member John Dugard said after meeting
    Arafat that the delegation planned to "investigate and to
    examine the situation as best we can" and hoped to talk with
    people on both sides.

    "Unfortunately the Israeli government has indicated that
    it will not co-operate with us, but there are facts that can
    be found by other means and we will do our best to get a full
    picture of what is happening and on that basis we will make
    our report and make our recommendations," he said.

    Israel on Friday reiterated it would not cooperate with
    the inquiry.

    The panel, made up of three independent experts, will
    report to the annual U.N. Commission on Human Rights which
    opens its annual six-week-long session in Geneva on March 19.

    The 53-member state forum launched the inquiry after
    holding a special session last October at which it passed a
    resolution condemning Israel for "war crimes and crimes
    against humanity" in the territories.

    The half-century-old U.N. rights forum has regularly
    condemned Israel for alleged violations in the territories, in
    southern Lebanon and in the Golan Heights, seized from Syria
    in 1967. The United States normally votes against resolutions
    criticising Israel, a close ally.

    The U.N. delegation consists of John Dugard, a South
    African who teaches at Leiden University in the Netherlands;
    Richard Falk, a professor of international law at Princeton
    University in the United States; and Kamal Hussein, a former
    Bangladeshi foreign minister.

    The inquiry commission is scheduled to begin its field work
    in Gaza before going to Jerusalem, Ramallah, Hebron, Bethlehem
    and Beit Jala.

    In November, U.N. rights boss Mary Robinson, who visited
    the territories, called for international monitors to be sent
    to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where she accused the Jewish
    state of "excessive use of force" against Palestinians.

    At least 318 Palestinians, 52 Israelis and 13 Israeli
    Arabs have been killed in violence since September 28.


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