Ending Israeli Occupation Alone Not Sufficient: UN-Mandated Rights Inquiry
“Ending the occupation alone will not be sufficient,” a report released on Tuesday said, urging additional action to ensure the equal enjoyment of human rights.
It cited evidence saying Israel has “no intention of ending the occupation” and is pursuing “complete control” over the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem Al-Quds.
Israel boycotted the inquiry and barred entry to its investigators.
The Zionist regime’s foreign ministry said, “It is a biased and one-sided report tainted with hatred for ... Israel and based on a long series of previous one-sided and biased reports.”
While prompted by the 11-day May 2021 conflict in which 250 Gaza Palestinians died, the inquiry mandate includes human rights abuses before and after that and seeks to investigate the root causes of the tensions.
Hamas welcomed the report and urged the prosecution of Israeli leaders for crimes against the Palestinian people.
The Palestinian Authority also praised the report and called for accountability “in a manner that puts an end to Israel’s impunity”.
The report will be discussed at the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council next week. The United States quit the Council in 2018 over what it described as its “chronic bias” against Israel and only fully rejoined this year.
The commission, headed by former UN human rights chief Navi Pillay, and is the first to have an “ongoing” mandate from the UN rights body.
Proponents say the commission is needed to keep tabs on persistent injustices faced by Palestinians under decades of Israeli occupation.
Source: Reuters
