Human Rights Now, a Tokyo based international human rights NGO in special consultative status with the ECOSOC, has read an oral statement, “The International Community Must Respond Immediately to the Continuing Impunity and Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza”, at the 31st session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Download the statement [PDF]
To read our written statement on the topic, please visit: http://hrn.or.jp/eng/news/2016/02/16/the-international-community-must-respond-immediately-to-the-continuing-impunity-and-humanitarian-crisis-in-gaza-written-statement-to-31st-human-rights-council/
Watch the oral intervention: http://webtv.un.org/search/item7-general-debate-contd-52nd-meeting-31st-regular-session-human-rights-council/4810323225001?term=human%20rights%20now#full-text (1:46:10～）
Item 7: Human Rights situations in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories
March 21, 2016
31st Human Rights Council
The International Community Must Respond Immediately to the Continuing Impunity and Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
Human Rights Now is gravely concerned with the human rights situation in Gaza. Most of the recommendations made by UN mechanisms, including by this council, the UN Special Rapporteur and the Commission of Inquiry in 2009 and 2014, have not been sufficiently implemented. We express our regret that Israel failed to grant the UN Special Rapporteur Makarim Wibisono access to the Occupied Palestine Territory. The Special Rapporteur has even resigned from his post as a result of Israel’s obstruction of his work.
To date, the perpetrators of indiscriminate attacks on civilians in Gaza during the 2014 conflict have not been prosecuted. Israel’s military advocate general opened investigations only for ten incidents, and some were concluded without prosecutions. Israel has not accepted the jurisdiction of the ICC despite the ICC’s acceptance of Palestine as a state party.
Israel has continued disproportionate bombings and military incursions into Gaza. Its blockade of Gaza since 2006 has delayed the reconstruction of Gaza after the war and continues to aggravate Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.
Human Rights Now calls on the government of Israel to implement all recommendations made by all UN mechanisms, and cease all violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in occupied Palestinian territory.
We call on the government to cooperate with the ICC’s examination and cooperate with the mandate of the Special Rapporteur and other UN bodies, and make all other efforts to achieve justice and accountability. Also, we urge the government to immediately and unconditionally lift the blockade against Gaza.
As the Special Rapporteur underscores in his report, the international community must recognize the critical need to increase the protection of Palestine people. We call on the international community to redouble its effort to end impunity, non-cooperation with UN mechanisms, and persistent human rights violations against the Palestine people.