Gerechtigkeit für Palästina - justicia para Palestina - justice pour Palestine - justice for Palestine
Showing posts with label UN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UN. Show all posts
Thursday, 7 August 2014
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Tuesday, 11 June 2013
Monday, 10 June 2013
UN expert under fire ahead of Palestinian rights report
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=603459
Published today (updated) 10/06/2013 19:00
Palestinian territories expert Richard Falk gives a speech
on July 24, 2005. (AFP/Cem Turkel)
on July 24, 2005. (AFP/Cem Turkel)
GENEVA (AFP) -- A pro-Israel group said Sunday that it, with backing from Washington, would call on the UN's top rights body to dismiss a top official after he demanded an investigation of the organisation.
"UN Watch's draft resolution to remove (Richard) Falk has been published by the United Nations as an official document and will be put before the (Human Rights) Council when he addresses it tomorrow," the group said in a statement.
US ambassador to the Human Rights Council Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe also called for Falk's departure in a statement Friday.
The calls came after the outspoken expert on the rights situation in the Palestinian territories published a report in which he urged the council to investigate UN Watch, which he described as "a pro-Israel lobbying organisation accredited as an NGO."
The group has repeatedly attacked Falk in the past for alleged anti-Israel bias, and launched a recent campaign to highlight comments he had made that could be interpreted as justification of the Boston marathon bombing.
In his report, which he is set to present to the rights council in Geneva early Monday, Falk accused UN Watch of launching "a smear campaign" against him, charging it "has issued a series of defamatory attacks demeaning his character, repeatedly distorting his views on potentially inflammatory issues."
He called on the 47-member rights body to investigate UN Watch "to determine whether it qualifies as an independent organisation that operations ... and is not indirectly sponsored by the government of Israel."
UN Watch chief Hillel Neuer hit back, calling on "UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon to denounce Richard Falk's McCarthy-style attempt to have rogue regimes conduct a retaliatory 'investigation' of UN Watch, as a punishment for successfully exposing his gross misconduct."
Donahoe supported the group in her statement Friday, stressing that "the United States completely rejects and condemns the irresponsible call ... to investigate a legitimate and UN-accredited NGO."
"Mr. Falk's most recent statement, which he dramatically and recklessly included in an official UN document, ... once again starkly demonstrated that he is unfit to serve in his role as a UN special rapporteur," she said, adding: "We once again call for his resignation."
Falk, a Princeton University international law professor who has labelled Israel's 2008 offensive against Gaza as "war crimes", also met harsh US and Israeli criticism after he last year urged a boycott of companies helping Israel's settlement expansion in the Palestinian territories.
The report he is set to present Monday takes Israel to task for a long line of alleged abuses, many linked to its "illegal blockade of Gaza," an area likened to "a large open-air prison in which the inmates control the interior while the guards control the perimeter."
"UN Watch's draft resolution to remove (Richard) Falk has been published by the United Nations as an official document and will be put before the (Human Rights) Council when he addresses it tomorrow," the group said in a statement.
US ambassador to the Human Rights Council Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe also called for Falk's departure in a statement Friday.
The calls came after the outspoken expert on the rights situation in the Palestinian territories published a report in which he urged the council to investigate UN Watch, which he described as "a pro-Israel lobbying organisation accredited as an NGO."
The group has repeatedly attacked Falk in the past for alleged anti-Israel bias, and launched a recent campaign to highlight comments he had made that could be interpreted as justification of the Boston marathon bombing.
In his report, which he is set to present to the rights council in Geneva early Monday, Falk accused UN Watch of launching "a smear campaign" against him, charging it "has issued a series of defamatory attacks demeaning his character, repeatedly distorting his views on potentially inflammatory issues."
He called on the 47-member rights body to investigate UN Watch "to determine whether it qualifies as an independent organisation that operations ... and is not indirectly sponsored by the government of Israel."
UN Watch chief Hillel Neuer hit back, calling on "UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon to denounce Richard Falk's McCarthy-style attempt to have rogue regimes conduct a retaliatory 'investigation' of UN Watch, as a punishment for successfully exposing his gross misconduct."
Donahoe supported the group in her statement Friday, stressing that "the United States completely rejects and condemns the irresponsible call ... to investigate a legitimate and UN-accredited NGO."
"Mr. Falk's most recent statement, which he dramatically and recklessly included in an official UN document, ... once again starkly demonstrated that he is unfit to serve in his role as a UN special rapporteur," she said, adding: "We once again call for his resignation."
Falk, a Princeton University international law professor who has labelled Israel's 2008 offensive against Gaza as "war crimes", also met harsh US and Israeli criticism after he last year urged a boycott of companies helping Israel's settlement expansion in the Palestinian territories.
The report he is set to present Monday takes Israel to task for a long line of alleged abuses, many linked to its "illegal blockade of Gaza," an area likened to "a large open-air prison in which the inmates control the interior while the guards control the perimeter."
Monday, 23 July 2012
Reconocimiento del Estado palestino, una responsabilidad de la ONU
http://www.revistapueblos.org/spip.php?article2463&utm_source=buffer&buffer_share=5b1c6
Najib Abu-Warda*
Jueves 19 de julio de 2012, por Revista Pueblos
Palestina, como todo Oriente Próximo es, en su plano político actual, un producto de la Primera Guerra Mundial, es decir, el reparto del último imperio universal oriental, la Turquía Otomana, por las potencias occidentales. La Organización de las Naciones Unidas es el actor internacional de máxima responsabilidad en la cuestión de Palestina. Tras la Segunda Guerra Mundial, cuando la ONU fue fundada (en 1945) Palestina era un territorio administrado por el Reino Unido por un mandato encomendado por la Sociedad de las Naciones en 1922. La situación actual de Palestina, en gran medida, es responsabilidad fundamental de la ONU, ya que su resolución 181 de 1947 permitió el injusto y asimétrico plan de partición de Palestina y la creación del Estado de Israel.
Tras décadas de enfrentamiento árabe-israelí, se reconoce universalmente la necesidad de un arreglo pacífico. Todas las partes implicadas en el conflicto coinciden en que cualquier solución debe tener en cuenta los legítimos derechos del pueblo palestino, no sólo porque la cuestión de Palestina constituye el núcleo de la controversia, sino también porque su falta de arreglo plantea una amenaza constante a la paz y a la seguridad regional e internacional. La falta de una solución al conflicto palestinoisraelí, después de 60 años de ocupación, seguirá afectando la reputación de la ONU y despertando dudas sobre su imparcialidad.
Por ello, esta cuestión ha sido objeto de creciente atención en los esfuerzos para lograr la paz en Oriente Medio y especialmente desde el proceso de paz iniciado en la Conferencia de Madrid a finales de 1991.
En su génesis, desarrollo y expectativas de futuro, Palestina quedó condicionada por las Resoluciones de la ONU. El 29 de noviembre de 1947 este organismo aprobó la Resolución 181 sobre la partición de Palestina en dos Estados. Este hecho marcó el comienzo del éxodo palestino. El 15 de mayo de 1948 se produjo el fin oficial del mandato británico y, al mismo tiempo, la creación del Estado de Israel sobre más de la mitad del territorio palestino. La segunda parte de la Resolución referente al Estado palestino nunca se cumplió. La Resolución de la ONU entraña una gran responsabilidad política y moral de esta organización hacia los palestinos, que debe asumirse en ese mismo marco internacional. Desde entonces, el pueblo palestino ha enfrentado la usurpación de su patria, la confiscación de sus tierras, la expulsión de sus gentes y no olvida ni un instante la responsabilidad de la ONU; pero, al mismo tiempo, comenzó a movilizarse para alcanzar su independencia, en correspondencia con los derechos que le confieren las leyes internacionales y los propios principios de dicha organización.
Objetivo, el estado palestino
En 1974, la OLP adoptó un programa basado en la creación del Estado palestino por etapas, se declaraba dispuesta a crear el Estado provisional berado. Este programa desembocó en la adhesión de la OLP a las Naciones Unidas como observador. En la Resolución 3236 (XXIX) de la Asamblea General, de 22 de noviembre de 1974, se reafirmaron los derechos inalienables del pueblo palestino, que incluían el derecho a la libre determinación sin injerencia del exterior, el derecho a la independencia y a la soberanía nacionales y el derecho a regresar a sus hogares y a recuperar sus bienes. Desde entonces, se han reafirmado cada año los derechos del pueblo palestino, tal como habían sido enunciados por la Asamblea en 1974.
En 1975, la Asamblea General estableció el comité para el ejercicio de los derechos inalienables del pueblo palestino, también conocido como Comité de Derechos de los Palestinos. Se pidió al Comité que preparara un programa destinado a que los palestinos pudiesen ejercer sus derechos. En 1976, el Comité formuló dos tipos de recomendaciones: uno relativo al derecho de los palestinos a regresar a sus hogares y recuperar sus bienes, y el otro relativo a los derechos a la libre determinación, a la independencia nacional y a la soberanía. El Consejo de Seguridad examinó el informe del Comité pero no pudo adoptar una decisión al respecto a causa del voto en contra de los Estados Unidos. El Consejo volvió a ocuparse del asunto en otras ocasiones, pero siempre sin llegar a adoptar una decisión. La Asamblea General, sin embargo, respaldó las recomendaciones del Comité de Derechos de los Palestinos tanto en 1976 como en los años subsiguientes.
- Paula Cabildo
La voz del pueblo
En diciembre de 1987 se inició la Intifada o levantamiento popular que surgió como expresión de la crisis acumulada durante tantos años de ocupación, encontró su principal razón en la propia ocupación y en las medidas represivas que se han practicado en Palestina durante esos años. El levantamiento palestino no fue un hecho aislado, sino el producto del desarrollo de una lucha sin cuartel contra la ocupación israelí. La Intifada ha producido importantes cambios en el terreno político de la OLP, una mayor cohesión a nivel regional y unas claras expectativas en la política internacional en relación al conflicto árabe-israelí. El levantamiento palestino modificó la correlación de fuerzas y el status quo en la región.
El 15 de noviembre 1988, la OLP, aceptando la solución de dos Estados en la Palestina histórica, declaraba la independencia del Estado palestino. En su Resolución 43/177, de 15 de diciembre de 1988, la Asamblea General de la ONU tomó conocimiento de la proclamación del Estado de palestina hecha por el Consejo Nacional de Palestina. La Asamblea afirmó la necesidad de que se permitiera al pueblo palestino ejercer su soberanía sobre su propio territorio ocupado desde 1967.
La Asamblea decidió, asimismo, que se utilizara la designación “Palestina” en vez de la de “Organización de Liberación de Palestina”, sin perjuicio de las funciones y la condición de observadora de la OLP dentro del sistema de las Naciones Unidas. Diez años más tarde, en 1998, por su Resolución 52/250, de 7 de julio, la Asamblea General decidió conceder a Palestina, en su calidad de observadora, derechos y prerrogativas adicionales respecto a la participación en los períodos de sesiones y en los trabajos de la Asamblea General, así como en las Naciones Unidas y en sus conferencias internacionales.
En 1991, los cambios mundiales tales como el fin de la guerra fría, el reajuste de la política exterior de las grandes potencias y la guerra del Golfo influyeron en la situación de Oriente Medio. Esto dio lugar a la Conferencia de Paz sobre el Oriente Medio en Madrid en 1991. Aunque esta Conferencia se estancó en 1993, israelíes y palestinos llevaron a cabo conversaciones secretas en Noruega que a finales de 1993 llegaron a la concertación del “Acuerdo de Oslo” entre Israel y la OLP.
El Acuerdo contenía un punto referido a la retirada de las tropas israelíes de Cisjordania y Gaza en tres etapas; además, convocaba a elecciones democráticas en los territorios palestinos, lo cual conduciría a la creación de un Estado palestino independiente.
En 1994, la OLP retornó a Gaza, para iniciar la construcción de las bases del futuro estado independiente. Sin embargo, Israel comenzó a poner trabas a tales acuerdos. Los sucesivos gobiernos israelíes violaron sistemáticamente las disposiciones de paz.
Tras años de estancamiento, en 1999 se reactivó el proceso de paz a través de la firma de un acuerdo provisional que daría lugar a un nuevo repliegue de las tropas israelíes en la Ribera Occidental y Gaza y la reanudación de las negociaciones sobre cuestiones relativas al estatuto permanente.
Sin embargo, debido a que no se habían solucionado los grandes problemas entre Israel y Palestina, comenzaron nuevas protestas y actos de violencia en los territorios ocupados a finales de septiembre del 2000, comenzando una Segunda Intifada que no ha terminado.
Miembro de pleno derecho
Dos décadas después, en medio de un profundo silencio internacional, el fracaso de todas las iniciativas de paz, las reiteradas decepciones sufridas por los negociadores palestinos, el estancamiento en el que se encuentra el proceso de paz para Oriente Medio, así como la falta de respuestas internacionales y la necesidad de concluir con una situación de bloqueo impuesto sobre Palestina respaldan la idea de dirigirse a las Naciones Unidas para proclamar el Estado palestino y convertirse en miembro de pleno derecho.
En esta nueva etapa histórica de transiciones políticas en toda la región el pueblo palestino, a través de sus instituciones políticas y sociales, tiene que dirigirse a la comunidad internacional y reclamar un papel efectivo de las Naciones Unidas. En definitiva, exigir la creación de un Estado independiente de acuerdo con las resoluciones de la ONU.
La decisión palestina de recurrir a la ONU nuevamente es un paso avanzado dentro del propio proceso de paz y no debe considerarse como un acto unilateral, tal como lo califica Israel. No es una proclamación de independencia, es una iniciativa que busca la integración del Estado palestino en la comunidad internacional. Su reconocimiento aportará un nuevo dinamismo a la solución del conflicto, es un primer paso hacia la reactivación de las negociaciones de paz.
Conforme a la Carta de Naciones Unidas, la aceptación como miembro de un nuevo Estado necesita de la decisión de la Asamblea General basada en la recomendación del Consejo de Seguridad. Si alguno de sus miembros ejercitase su veto, debería convocarse una sesión extraordinaria de la Asamblea General. Esto es posible en virtud de la Resolución 377 de 1959, para que en caso de bloqueo por veto se salvaguarde la paz.
La iniciativa palestina requiere el reconocimiento previo del mayor número de países del mundo. Hasta la fecha, más de 120 Estados reconocen de hecho o manifiestan su reconocimiento al Estado palestino. El reconocimiento será pleno con el apoyo de los países occidentales, en particular los miembros de la Unión Europea. Debemos recordar que el 24 de septiembre de 2010 el presidente Obama propuso que la Asamblea General de la ONU debería “reunirse otra vez el próximo año con un acuerdo que llevase a la creación de un nuevo miembro de la ONU, un Estado soberano independiente palestino que viviese en paz con Israel”. El 21 de abril de 2011, el presidente francés Nicolas Sarkozy informó al presidente palestino Mahmoud Abbas de su claro “apoyo a los esfuerzos por crear un Estado palestino”.
El Comité de Admisiones, que agrupa a los 15 miembros del consejo, está encargado de la admisión de nuevos miembros a la ONU. La decisión del Consejo, requerida por sus normas de procedimiento, es el primer paso oficial del órgano de 15 naciones para considerar la petición de Palestina de ser reconocida como Estado.
Estados Unidos, miembro permanente del Consejo de Seguridad y estrecho aliado de Israel, anticipó que vetará cualquier acción para reconocer a Palestina como Estado miembro de la ONU. Estados Unidos e Israel se oponen con firmeza a la solicitud palestina argumentando que un Estado palestino debe ser resultado de las conversaciones directas entre israelíes y palestinos.
La Autoridad Palestina, frente al posible veto de Estados Unidos en el Consejo de Seguridad, tiene la opción de recurrir al mecanismo de la Resolución 377 (V) de 1950 “Unión pro Paz” que señala que: “Si el Consejo de Seguridad, por falta de unanimidad entre sus miembros permanentes, deja de cumplir con su responsabilidad primordial de mantener la paz y la seguridad internacionales en todo caso en que resulte haber una amenaza a la paz, un quebrantamiento de la paz o un acto de agresión, la Asamblea General examinará inmediatamente el asunto, con miras a dirigir a los miembros recomendaciones apropiadas para la adopción de medidas colectivas, inclusive, en caso de quebrantamiento de la paz o acto de agresión, el uso de fuerzas armadas cuando fuere necesario a fin de mantener o restaurar la paz y la seguridad internacionales”.
Este mecanismo fue ideado en los años 50 para prevenir cualquier veto soviético durante el conflicto en Corea y ha generado la convocatoria de algunas sesiones extraordinarias de la Asamblea General. Sin embargo, el propio texto de la Resolución se refiere exclusivamente a temas de paz y seguridad internacionales y, por supuesto, la solución del conflicto palestino-israelí es un asunto que concierne a la paz y seguridad internacionales.
Por otro lado, la Asamblea General podría optar por reconocer a Palestina como un Estado Observador No Parte. Actualmente, Palestina es reconocida como una “entidad” observadora, darle el título de Estado Observador lo pondría en la misma categoría que la detentada hoy por el Estado vaticano y por Suiza hasta 2002. Esta opción, si bien no le brinda membresía a Palestina, es un paso limitado, y su importancia radica en dotar a Palestina del status de estado lo que le otorgaría la potestad de denunciar las acciones israelíes ante los tribunales internacionales y actuar dentro de otro nivel de escenarios internacionales.
Mientras el Comité de Admisiones está analizando si los palestinos cumplen las condiciones estipuladas en la Carta Magna de la ONU para su admisión, la UNESCO, Organización de Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura, en su conferencia 36ª, admitió a Palestina como miembro de pleno derecho. “Éste es un momento histórico que le devuelve a Palestina algunos de sus derechos”, afirmó al término de la votación el ministro palestino de Relaciones Exteriores, Riyad al Malki, que había pedido el apoyo de las delegaciones como “la principal contribución que puedan aportar a la paz”.
A diferencia de la ONU, donde la adhesión requiere la recomendación del Consejo de Seguridad en el que existe el derecho de veto, la admisión en la UNESCO necesita, además de la recomendación del Consejo Ejecutivo obtenida por la Autoridad Palestina ya a principios de octubre, la validación por parte de los dos tercios de los votantes que asisten a la Conferencia General, compuesta por todos los estados miembros. En su 36ª reunión, que se celebró en París en noviembre de 2011, la Conferencia General aprobó la petición en una votación abierta a la que asistieron 173 países.
Se trata de un “momento histórico que le devuelve a Palestina ciertos derechos”, dijo nada más conocerse la decisión el ministro de Asuntos Exteriores palestino, Riyad al-Malki, que se desplazó hasta París para defender la adhesión en la Unesco. “Es el inicio de un camino duro que nos permitirá liberarnos de la ocupación”, añadió.
La entrada en la UNESCO supone una victoria diplomática de consideración para Palestina que aspira a que toda la ONU, no sólo uno de sus organismos, la reconozca como Estado soberano.
No hay duda de que la paz en la región depende, en gran medida, de la normalización de la situación en Palestina y su admisión incondicional en la comunidad de estados. La iniciativa palestina debe ser bienvenida y la comunidad internacional debe actuar con responsabilidad. Ahora corresponde a las Naciones Unidas asegurar un acuerdo definitivo y justo basado en el derecho internacional para reconocer el status de Estado para la nación más antigua del mundo, Palestina.
*Najib Abu-Warda es profesor de Relaciones Internacionales (UCM).
Este artículo ha sido publicado en el nº 52 de Pueblos - Revista de Información y Debate - Especial junio 2012: Palestina
Saturday, 21 July 2012
UN Committee on Israeli practices concerned about treatment of Palestinian children in detention
PRESS RELEASE
UN Special Committee* on Israeli Practices in the Occupied Territories
20/07/2012
UN Special Committee* on Israeli Practices in the Occupied Territories
20/07/2012
July 20, 2012
CAIRO / GENEVA (20 July 2012) – The UN Special Committee* on Israeli Practices in the Occupied Territories expressed serious concern about the treatment of Palestinian children in detention by Israeli security forces, and warned that a pattern of detaining and mistreating children “links to broader, longstanding concerns regarding Israel detention of Palestinians generally.”
“Witnesses informed the Committee that mistreatment of Palestinian children starts from the moment of detention,” said Ambassador Palitha T.B. Kohona, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in New York, and Chairperson of the Committee, at the end of a fact-finding visit to Amman, Cairo and the Gaza Strip.
“Large numbers are routinely detained. Children’s homes are surrounded by Israeli soldiers late at night, sound grenades are fired into the houses, doors are broken down, live shots are often fired; no warrant is presented,” he noted. “Children are tightly bound, blindfolded and forced into the backs of military vehicles.”
Ambassador Kohona explained that parents are not allowed to accompany the detainees, and that family members are insulted, intimidated and at times physically assaulted. According to witnesses, the detention and transfer of children can last for hours, and can often include stops in Israeli settlements, Israeli checkpoints and police or military bases.
“Children are not informed of their rights, including their right to legal representation and to not incriminate themselves,” he warned. In 63% of cases involving Palestinian children, according to testimony received, Israeli officials attempt to pressure them into becoming informants. “The Committee’s view is that this is an unacceptable practice, one that Israel must end immediately.”
“Reports of the interrogation of Palestinian children are of utmost concern to the Committee, as well as conditions of detention generally,” Ambassador Kohona stressed. “Palestinian children in detention are often denied family visits, denied access to legal representation, held in cells with adults, denied access to education, and -even at the age of 12- tried in Israeli military courts.”
“We were dismayed to hear that Israel continues its practice of sentencing children to prison, or to house arrest in homes other than their own families, in effect exiling them from their families,” he said. The Committee was informed by witnesses that there were 192 children in detention, 39 were under the age of 16.
The Committee was also shocked to learn that Israel puts Palestinian children in solitary confinement. “According to testimony received, Israel uses solitary confinement against 12% of Palestinian child detainees,” Ambassador Kohona noted. “This is especially troubling when one considers that Israel arrests about 500 to 700 Palestinian children every year.”
In its preliminary observations, the UN Special Committee drew attention to two further areas of immediate concern in the West bank, including East Jerusalem: the Israeli practice of demolishing Palestinian homes, and violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians. The experts also assessed the economic impact of the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip.
“These Israeli practices lead the Special Committee to one over-arching and deeply troubling conclusion,” Ambassador Kohona underscored. “The mass imprisonment of Palestinians; the routine demolition of homes and the displacement of Palestinians; the widespread violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians; and the blockade and resultant reliance on illegal smuggling to survive; these practices amount to a strategy to either force the Palestinian people off their land or so severely marginalize them as to establish and maintain a system of permanent oppression.”
The Special Committee will present a mission report to the UN General Assembly next November, with its observations and recommendations to improve the human rights situation for those whose lives are affected by occupation.
(*) The Special Committee is composed of three Member States: Sri Lanka (Chairman), Malaysia and Senegal. This year the Member States are represented by: Ambassador Palitha T.B. Kohona, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in New York; Ambassador Dato Hussein Hannif, Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the UN in New York; and Ambassador Fodé Seck, Minister Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of Senegal to the UN in Geneva.
FULL END OF MISSION STATEMENT
Cairo, 19 July 2012
Media Statement
United Nations General Assembly’s Special Committee on Israeli Practices
(Delivered by Ambassador Palitha T.B. Kohona, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in New York, and Chairperson of the Committee)
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning,
I make this statement in my capacity as chair of the General Assembly’s Special Committee to investigate Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the territories occupied since 1967.
This statement comes at the conclusion of the Committee’s annual field mission, which included meetings in Amman, Cairo, and the Gaza Strip. It contains the Committee’s initial observations based on these meetings. The Committee will report to the General Assembly next November. This report will present our full assessment of current Israeli practices of most concern to the human rights of Palestinians and other Arabs of the territories occupied since 1967, as well as recommendations to address these concerns.
Let me start off by highlighting the Committee’s most urgent concern. The Committee received extensive testimony concerning Israel’s treatment of Palestinian children in detention. And much of this testimony was alarming.
Witnesses informed the Committee that mistreatment of Palestinian children starts from the moment of detention. Large numbers are routinely detained. Children’s homes are surrounded by Israeli soldiers late at night, sound grenades are fired into the houses, doors are broken down, live shots are often fired – no warrant is presented. Children are tightly bound, blindfolded and forced into the backs of military vehicles. Parents are not allowed to accompany them. Instead, family members are insulted, intimidated and at times physically assaulted. Many children report being held on the floor of the vehicle and being kicked and verbally assaulted. According to witnesses, the detention and transfer of children can last for hours, and can often include stops in Israeli settlements, Israeli checkpoints and police or military bases. One witness recounted the case of two Palestinian minors being taken to the Binyamin settlement, being stripped fully naked and handcuffed to toilets, and being urinated on by Israeli soldiers and settlers.
Yet this is only the beginning for Palestinian children detained by Israel. Children are not informed of their rights, including their right to legal representation and to not incriminate themselves. On the contrary, witnesses testified that Palestinian children are regularly told that if they confess they will be able to go home sooner. They are then given documents to sign in Hebrew, a language they cannot understand, and often forced under duress to sign. In 63% of cases involving Palestinian children, according to testimony received, Israeli officials attempt to pressure them into becoming informants. The Committee’s view is that this is an unacceptable practice, one that Israel must end immediately.
Reports of the interrogation of Palestinian children are of utmost concern to the Committee, as well as conditions of detention generally. One appalling example was the case of a Palestinian child taken to the Ariel settlement, being beaten and thrown against a wall, and told that if he did not sign a confession in Hebrew, the soldiers would iron his skin. Witnesses reported that Palestinian children in detention are often denied family visits, denied access to legal representation, held in cells with adults, denied access to education, and – even at the age of 12 – tried in Israeli military courts. We were dismayed to hear that Israel continues its practice of sentencing children to prison, or to house arrest in homes other than their own families, in effect exiling them from their families. The Committee was informed by witnesses that there were 192 children in detention, 39 were under the age of 16.
The Committee was shocked to learn that Israel puts Palestinian children in solitary confinement. But, according to testimony received, Israel uses solitary confinement against 12% of Palestinian children detainees. This is especially troubling when one considers that Israel arrests about 500 to 700 Palestinian children every year.
This pattern of detaining and mistreating children links to broader, longstanding concerns regarding Israel’s detention of Palestinians generally. The Committee was informed that, while numbers change daily, Israel currently detains 4,484 Palestinians. The Committee was briefed on unacceptable prison conditions, various forms of ill-treatment – in some cases amounting to torture, widespread use of solitary confinement, pervasive medical neglect, and the allegation of the use of medical testing on prisoners.
The Committee wishes to focus international attention on Israel’s frequent use of administrative detention. Israel’s practice of administrative detention was alleged to be a policy of widespread and systematic arbitrary detention. We were informed that Israel currently holds 310 persons under this policy, including 6 young girls and at least 21 Palestinian parliamentarians.
During our visit to Gaza, the Committee was able to meet with Mahmoud Sarsak. Mahmoud, a member of the Palestinian national football team, was recently released by Israel following a three month hunger strike in protest against his administrative detention. Mahmoud’s case illustrates the experience of the thousands of Palestinians who Israel has administratively (arbitrarily) detained during its occupation. Mahmoud was arrested at a checkpoint, despite the fact that he had all the required papers. He was roughly handled and not informed of any charges. He was not allowed access to a lawyer or his family. He could not contest his detention through any judicial process. He was given no access to any information or evidence against him. Instead he was told that he was a security threat and, on this basis, his administrative detention order was repeatedly renewed for almost three years.
Three years in jail. No charges, no trial, no rights. Israel must end its policy and practice of arbitrary administrative detention of Palestinians.
The Committee wishes to also draw attention to two further areas of immediate concern in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Before doing so, it is fundamental to recall that Israel is the occupying power, and under international law Israel’s practices in the occupied territories must not be to the detriment of the local population.
It is within this legal framework that Israel’s practice of demolishing Palestinian homes is of deep concern to the Committee. Demolitions have increased disturbingly over the past three years, with 330 homes and other structures already demolished in 2012. According to testimony received, Israel has demolished over 26,000 Palestinian structures since 1967. And demolitions of homes equal forced displacement of persons. The Committee was informed that over 500 Palestinians, more than half of them children, have already been displaced in 2012. We were also informed about the planning and zoning regime that Israel applies in the West Bank. This regime serves as the basis for Israel’s demolition of Palestinian structures. Rather than benefiting Palestinians, it blatantly discriminates against them.
Again this year the Committee received terrifying accounts of violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians. The testimony we received included video evidence of Israeli settlers shooting at un-armed Palestinians. Such videos clearly showed Israeli soldiers either observing such events or intervening to arrest Palestinians.
The Committee was informed of at least 154 incidents of settler violence resulting in injuries or damage to property or land between 1 January and 26 June 2012. This constitutes an increase of 237% compared to 2009, and 116% compared to 2010. And such violence has seriously detrimental impacts on Palestinian livelihoods. At least 7,500 Palestinian trees were destroyed and almost 10,000 trees damaged by Israeli settlers in 2011. This amounts to the loss of millions of dollars of income for Palestinian farmers.
However, Israeli settlers carry on with their violent attacks with near total impunity. One Israeli non-governmental organisation monitored 642 cases of reported settler violence since 2005, and 90% of these cases were closed with the excuse of a lack of evidence. Indictments were filed in only 9% of these cases. Another Israeli non-governmental organisation monitored 352 cases of reported violence and indictments were filed in only 8% of these cases. We would note that many cases go un-reported by Palestinians, out of fear of retribution.
It was suggested that the Government of Israel implicitly encourages violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians. Its practice appears to be simply to turn its head the other way. In this regard, several witnesses noted that many Israeli Government officials and military live in the settlements. In their view there is no difference between the settlers and the Government.
The Special Committee was able to visit the Gaza Strip for the second time since it was established in 1968. We had the opportunity to travel around Gaza to observe the actual situation on the ground, and meet directly with witnesses and victims affected by Israel’s blockade. The blockade continues to have a devastating impact on the people of Gaza.
We met with fishermen who have had their livelihoods ruined by Israel’s enforcement of a less than 3 nautical mile limit on Palestinian boats, in flagrant disregard of the Oslo Accords. The fishermen used to bring in 4,000 tons a year. Now they bring in around 1,400. Fishermen, even within this arbitrary 3 mile limit, are subject to arrest, abuse and deprivation of their equipment. We met with farmers who have had their farms and agricultural equipment destroyed by Israeli bulldozers in the buffer zone. The farmers complained that the Israeli-declared security zone in effect expropriates 35% of Gaza’s agricultural land. Again, their livelihoods have been devastated. Both groups shared stories of humiliating, brutal and sometimes deadly treatment at the hands of Israeli soldiers enforcing the blockade.
Businessmen in Gaza provided us with detailed information regarding the impact of Israel’s blockade on the economy. They noted that imports remain less than 50% of pre-blockade levels. And they stressed the urgent need for imports of raw materials, especially to meet the demand for the approximately 40,000 apartments needed for homes, since thousands of Palestinians had their homes destroyed during operation Cast Lead and remain displaced. Furthermore, children in Gaza need more schools built urgently. 85% of schools in Gaza work on double shifts, thereby severely curtailing their right to education.
One of the most frequent complaints we received in Gaza concerned the lack of employment. The people of Gaza desperately want work. But Israel’s near total ban on exports stifles economic growth and makes job opportunities scarce. As a result between 30 and 40% of Gazans are unemployed.
The principal result of Israel’s blockade has been to make 80% of Palestinians in Gaza dependent on international humanitarian aid. We observed the distribution of such aid. And we had to admire the resilience of Gazans for being able to survive on so little, especially in the face of the inadequate healthcare, frequent power outages, and not infrequent incidents of violence that mark their daily lives.
It needs to be stated that the Committee considers that Israel’s blockade of Gaza is illegal. It amounts to the collective punishment of 1.6 million Palestinians. And the international community must bring pressure to bear on Israel until it is fully lifted.
These Israeli practices lead the Special Committee to one over-arching and deeply troubling conclusion. The mass imprisonment of Palestinians; the routine demolition of homes and the displacement of Palestinians; the widespread violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians; and the blockade and resultant reliance on illegal smuggling to survive – these practices amount to a strategy to either force the Palestinian people off their land or so severely marginalize them as to establish and maintain a system of permanent oppression.
It is not a coincidence that Israel applies two different planning and zoning regimes in the West Bank, a favourable one for Israeli settlers and a prohibitive one for Palestinians. Israelis want to block Palestinian development and expand their settlements.
It is not by chance that the majority of demolitions of Palestinian structures occur near Israeli settlements. Israeli settlers want to expropriate land and expand their settlements.
These Israeli practices are systematic. They are aimed at moving Palestinians off their land. And working together they increasingly discredit Israel’s claim of a commitment to “two States living side by side in peace and security.”
This concludes our statement. We will be pleased to receive your questions.
******
ENDS
UN Expert: Children in solitary confinement: “Israel’s pattern of abuse is inhumane, cruel, degrading and unlawful”
http://gaza.scoop.ps/2012/07/un-expert-children-in-solitary-confinement-israels-pattern-of-abuse-is-inhumane-cruel-degrading-and-unlawful/
July 20, 2012
July 20, 2012
PRESS RELEASE
UN Human Rights Council
20/07/2012
UN Human Rights Council
20/07/2012
GENEVA (20 July 2012) – United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Richard Falk, condemned Israel’s use of solitary confinement against Palestinian children, as reported earlier by the UN Special Committee on Israeli practices in the Occupied Territories. He urged the Israeli Government to treat Palestinian children detainees in accordance with international human rights laws.
“Israel’s use of solitary confinement against children flagrantly violates international human rights standards,” said Mr. Falk, expressing his outrage that Israel even imposes solitary confinement punitively on child hunger strikers. “However, using solitary confinement as a punishment for Palestinian children who wish to peacefully protest their situation, including by commencing a hunger strike against conditions of detention, is an appalling abuse of child prisoners.”
“This pattern of abuse by Israel is grave,” the Special Rapporteur stressed. “It is inhumane, cruel, degrading, and unlawful, and, most worryingly, it is likely to adversely affect the mental and physical health of underage detainees.”
Last month, a 15-year-old Palestinian boy named Khaled was placed for five days in solitary confinement because he started a hunger strike. In another case, a 16-year-old boy was placed in solitary confinement for seven days as a punishment for hanging a Palestinian flag in their cell. Another 16-year-old boy spent 12 days in solitary confinement during the interrogation at Al Jalame interrogation center.
“I again condemn Israel’s harsh arrest operations and procedures, during which Palestinian children are tightly bound and blindfolded,” the independent expert said, recalling his latest report* to the Human Rights Council. “Prison conditions are often deplorable, requiring children to sleep on the floor or on a concrete bed in a windowless cell.”
The Special Rapporteur also warned that “Palestinian children, especially from Gaza, are also denied visits by and access to their parents and lawyers. This isolates and intimidates the children and exposes them to ill-treatment during interrogation.”
Mr. Falk appealed to the Government of Israel to take urgent steps to bring their treatment of Palestinian children detainees into line with international human rights laws, in particular the Convention on the Rights of the Child. “An important step in the right direction would be to respect their rights and uphold their dignity,” he said. “This includes when they wish to protest their situation nonviolently, as by recourse to a hunger strike.”
The Special Rapporteur noted that, in 53 cases reported since 2008 by the NGO Defence for Children International, Palestinian children aged between 15 and 17 have been held in solitary confinement for periods ranging from 1 to 24 days.
(*) Check the Special Rapporteur’s 2012 report:
ENDS
Saturday, 14 July 2012
Monday, 2 July 2012
Saturday, 23 June 2012
Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations
http://www.un.int/wcm/content/site/palestine//index.shtml
Welcome to the website of the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations.
At this site, you may access information on important issues related to Palestine and the United Nations, as well as information regarding the work and official documents of the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations. You will also find information on Palestinian affairs including, historical pieces and documents of the Middle East peace process.
We hope you will find the material on our site interesting and helpful. We welcome any questions, comments and feedback.
Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations.
Monday, 9 April 2012
Israel bricht Beziehungen zum UNO-Menschenrechtsrat ab
Aktualisiert am 26.03.2012
http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/ausland/naher-osten-und-afrika/Israel-bricht-Beziehungen-zum-UNOMenschenrechtsrat-ab-/story/20045901
Das Gremium der UNO in Genf hat beschlossen, die Auswirkungen der israelischen Siedlungspolitik zu untersuchen. Die Regierung in Jerusalem reagiert mit einem Einreiseverbot.
Kontakt zu Genf abgebrochen: Israels Ministerpräsident Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel hat alle Verbindungen zum UNO-Menschenrechtsrat abgebrochen. Der Rat hatte zuvor beschlossen, die international umstrittene Siedlungspolitik Israels zu untersuchen. Der Sprecher des Aussenministeriums in Jerusalem bestätigte diese Entscheidung am Montag. Israel habe beschlossen, «alle Arbeitsbeziehungen zum UNO-Menschenrechtsrat abzubrechen, weil der Rat keine konstruktiven Verbindungen mit dem Land unterhält», sagte Jigal Palmor der Nachrichtenagentur DPA.
Das UNO-Gremium in Genf hatte am Donnerstag mit 36 Ja-Stimmen bei einer Gegenstimme der USA und zehn Enthaltungen beschlossen, die Auswirkungen der israelischen Siedlungen auf die Palästinenser im Westjordanland und im arabischen Ostteil Jerusalems zu untersuchen. Israel hatte bereits am Sonntag angekündigt, den Mitgliedern der Untersuchungskommission die Einreise zu verweigern. Der israelische Aussenminister Avigdor Lieberman bestätigte heute erneut das Einreiseverbot für das Ermittlerteam der UNO.
Die Siedlungen im Fokus der Verhandlungen
«Wir werden sie keinerlei Mission für den Menschenrechtsrat ausführen lassen, dazu zählt auch diese Untersuchung», erklärte Ministeriumssprecher Jigal Palmor in Jerusalem. Die Palästinenser wollen ihrerseits den UN-Ermittlern Fotos und Karten der Siedlungen vorlegen, sagte ein hochrangiger Vertreter, Nabil Schaath. Israel werde die Untersuchung nicht stoppen können, indem es die Zusammenarbeit mit dem Menschenrechtsrat beende.
Israel erwägtderweil nach Medienberichten auch «Strafmassnahmen» gegen die Palästinenser. Zur Diskussion stehe, erneut Steuerrückzahlungen in Millionenhöhe einzubehalten und nicht an die Autonomiebehörde in Ramallah weiterzuleiten. Der Ausbau von israelischen Siedlungen in den Palästinensergebieten gilt beispielsweise aus Sicht der Europäischen Union als eines der Haupthindernisse auf dem Weg zu einer friedlichen Lösung in der Region.
Die Palästinenser haben die Wiederaufnahme von Friedensgesprächen unter anderem von einem Siedlungsstopp abhängig gemacht. Israel lehnt jedoch alle Vorbedingungen ab und will strittige Fragen wie Siedlungen nur in direkten Verhandlungen erörtern.
(kpn/jak/sda)
Erstellt: 26.03.2012, 17:35 Uhr
http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/ausland/naher-osten-und-afrika/Israel-bricht-Beziehungen-zum-UNOMenschenrechtsrat-ab-/story/20045901
Das Gremium der UNO in Genf hat beschlossen, die Auswirkungen der israelischen Siedlungspolitik zu untersuchen. Die Regierung in Jerusalem reagiert mit einem Einreiseverbot.
Kontakt zu Genf abgebrochen: Israels Ministerpräsident Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel hat alle Verbindungen zum UNO-Menschenrechtsrat abgebrochen. Der Rat hatte zuvor beschlossen, die international umstrittene Siedlungspolitik Israels zu untersuchen. Der Sprecher des Aussenministeriums in Jerusalem bestätigte diese Entscheidung am Montag. Israel habe beschlossen, «alle Arbeitsbeziehungen zum UNO-Menschenrechtsrat abzubrechen, weil der Rat keine konstruktiven Verbindungen mit dem Land unterhält», sagte Jigal Palmor der Nachrichtenagentur DPA.
Das UNO-Gremium in Genf hatte am Donnerstag mit 36 Ja-Stimmen bei einer Gegenstimme der USA und zehn Enthaltungen beschlossen, die Auswirkungen der israelischen Siedlungen auf die Palästinenser im Westjordanland und im arabischen Ostteil Jerusalems zu untersuchen. Israel hatte bereits am Sonntag angekündigt, den Mitgliedern der Untersuchungskommission die Einreise zu verweigern. Der israelische Aussenminister Avigdor Lieberman bestätigte heute erneut das Einreiseverbot für das Ermittlerteam der UNO.
Die Siedlungen im Fokus der Verhandlungen
«Wir werden sie keinerlei Mission für den Menschenrechtsrat ausführen lassen, dazu zählt auch diese Untersuchung», erklärte Ministeriumssprecher Jigal Palmor in Jerusalem. Die Palästinenser wollen ihrerseits den UN-Ermittlern Fotos und Karten der Siedlungen vorlegen, sagte ein hochrangiger Vertreter, Nabil Schaath. Israel werde die Untersuchung nicht stoppen können, indem es die Zusammenarbeit mit dem Menschenrechtsrat beende.
Israel erwägtderweil nach Medienberichten auch «Strafmassnahmen» gegen die Palästinenser. Zur Diskussion stehe, erneut Steuerrückzahlungen in Millionenhöhe einzubehalten und nicht an die Autonomiebehörde in Ramallah weiterzuleiten. Der Ausbau von israelischen Siedlungen in den Palästinensergebieten gilt beispielsweise aus Sicht der Europäischen Union als eines der Haupthindernisse auf dem Weg zu einer friedlichen Lösung in der Region.
Die Palästinenser haben die Wiederaufnahme von Friedensgesprächen unter anderem von einem Siedlungsstopp abhängig gemacht. Israel lehnt jedoch alle Vorbedingungen ab und will strittige Fragen wie Siedlungen nur in direkten Verhandlungen erörtern.
(kpn/jak/sda)
Erstellt: 26.03.2012, 17:35 Uhr
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