UN council holds general debate on human rights situation in Palestine

GENEVA

The UN Human Rights Council held a general debate on the human rights situation in Palestine on Wednesday.

Palestine, speaking as an entity concerned, said it is "regretful that some politicized the work of the Council due to the wishes of the occupying power," the Council said in a statement.

Noting that there are more than six million refugees from Palestine and thousands of people had been killed by Zionist gangs, it said the Israeli occupation’s practices which started in 1967 are becoming "more ferocious and barbaric."

"This year commemorated 56 years of Israel as the occupying power. Civilians, journalists and health workers were being targeted, with 248 people killed this year and many administrative detention orders issued," the country said, urging the international community to shoulder "its historic and legal responsibility" to put an end to the occupation.

During the debate, some speakers expressed serious concern over violations of international human rights law in the occupied Palestinian territory, including deprivation of the right to self-determination, extrajudicial killings, restrictions on freedom of movement and assembly, and illegal settlements.

"Palestinian civilians, including children, continued to be subjected to daily and continuous killings, in addition to the policy of incursions and attacks on Palestinian villages, towns and cities by the Israeli occupation forces and settler herds," they said.

They also expressed concern over the forced eviction and displacement of many Palestinian families in East Jerusalem, "which could amount to the war crime of forcible transfer," according to the statement.

Several speakers also expressed concern about ongoing Israeli settlement and related actions in the occupied Palestinian territories and the occupied Syrian Golan. These actions include the expansion of settlements, expropriation of land, demolition of houses, and confiscation and destruction of property.

They called for an "immediate end" to all human rights violations.

Israeli representatives were not present while the debate was taking place.