- Title: ISRAEL: UN questions Israel on Palestinians' rights
- Date: 20th October 2014
- Summary: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (OCTOBER 20, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF PALAIS WILSON, UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS SIGN READING "UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS" VARIOUS OF UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE DURING REVIEW OF ISRAEL'S RECORD ON HUMAN RIGHTS DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF ISRAEL'S JUSTICE MINIST
- Embargoed: 4th November 2014 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Switzerland
- Country: Switzerland
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVADSUB01943UZP837V7KX7MHS0G
- Story Text: U.N. experts questioned Israeli officials on Monday (October 20) over alleged rights abuses ranging from the demolition of Palestinian houses and the expansion of Jewish settlements to limited Palestinian access to water and their farmland.
It was the first time Israel sent high-ranking officials to the review in Geneva, among whom were the Head of the Army's International Law Department Colonel Noam Neuman, and Deputy-Attorney General for International Law at the Ministry of Justice, Dr. Roy Schondorf.
Emi Palmor, director-general of Israel's Justice Ministry who led the 13-member delegation, said that Israel had made progress in upholding human rights but "more needs to be done".
"We decided to bring along the highest-ranking experts on the issues that we are supposed to answer and indeed you can see that for the first time the Director-General myself is heading the delegation, the Deputy-Attorney General Dr. Schondorf is second on the delegation, and the others are representing during the session, and we believe that this shows our seriousness, the sincere approach of Israel to these issues," said Palmor.
Israel's delegation defended its record before the United Nations Human Rights Committee, which examined respect for civil and political rights in Israel, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Each U.N. member state is reviewed every four years. Israel's record had been last examined in 2010.
However, the government only provided written information about Israel as it says its obligations to report to the committee do not extend to Palestinian territories - something the U.N. panel and International Court of Justice disagree with.
Experts raised concerns over the ongoing settlements in these occupied territories.
"We have that information about the doubling, the recent announcement in Israel of further expansion of the settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories and in East Jerusalem. So that was the reason why I raised the question: it seemed that no attention had been given whatsoever to our earlier recommendation," said UN human rights expert, Cornelis Flinterman.
Committee chairman Nigel Rodley voiced frustration at Israel's interpretation of the covenant in the report as it then failed to address some of the Palestinians' main grievances, such as the buildings of homes on occupied territories.
"On the issue of the settlements, I did indicate that the settlements were at the heart of many of the problems that are faced, including alleged violations of right to life and freedom of movement and so on," Rodley told Reuters TV.
Flinterman said that already in 2010, in its conclusions, the Committee had clearly asked Israel to stop this damaging policy. Not only did the settlements kept going, but according to Flinterman they have since doubled.
Successive Israeli governments have said the settlement blocs, deemed illegal under international law, should remain part of Israel in any negotiated deal with the Palestinians.
Along with the question of settlement, UN experts underlined the question of collective and punitive demolition of houses. Colonel Noam Neuman, head of the Israeli army's international law department, said in response that since 2013 there had been an increasing number of militant actions in Israel and the West Bank.
The committee was meeting just a few months after the latest Gaza conflict - Protective Edge operation - ended, after killing more than 2,100 Palestinians, most of them civilians, along with 67 Israeli soldiers and six Israeli civilians.
Israeli Ambassador Eviator Manor said the Jewish state was forced to launch the air strikes after Hamas militants fired 300 rockets and kidnapped three Israeli teenagers, later found dead, while Colonel Noam Neuman explained that Israel didn't rule anymore over Gaza, which was controlled by a "terrorist organization", the Hamas, and had just defended itself against immediate threat to its security and couldn't be held responsible for murders, or crimes in Gaza.
"Of course they are not responsible for the violations that may be committed by Hamas, of course they're not. But they are responsible for any violations that may be their own responsibility. It's not an issue of legal jurisdiction, one way or the other, it's an issue of who has control," stated Rodley.
The U.N. panel also questioned the seizure of West Bank land by the Israeli army and called for Palestinians in detention to be given prompt access to a lawyer and independent medical examination before being brought before a judge.
The committee's conclusions are to be issued on Oct. 30. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None