Occupied Palestinian Territory: Human rights situation - Special Rapporteur | United Nations

Описание: Press conference by Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967.

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Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory said, “the genocidal violence” has expanded and “metastasized in other parts of the oPt.”

Briefing reporters in New York City today (30 Oct) she questioned, “How do you explain the 700, over 700, Palestinians who have been killed in the West Bank, including 170 children?”

Albanese further said, “And how do you explain the fact that the Palestinians from the West Bank have been exposed to the same practices and abuses, often rape, among other forms of torture, than those in Gaza? If there was no Hamas military action or presence in the West Bank? Not that the first justified what Israel has done in Gaza.”

According to Albanese, “Impunity that has been granted to Israel has allowed it to become a serial violator of international law.” She argued that the United States has been “an enabler” in Israel’s actions, suggesting it has “a conflict of interest… in orchestrating attacks against anyone who criticizes Israel.”

Albanese further pointed to what she called a “colonial erasure” in efforts to diminish Palestinian identity in the oPt, noting that “75 percent, for example, of the people in Gaza, they’re not even from Gaza. They’re from modern-day Israel.” She said these actions serve as a “reminder… of its original sin” in the creation of the Israeli state.

Additionally, she condemned attacks on UNRWA, describing it as a “symbol of Palestinianness,” and emphasized that UNRWA’s fate rests solely with the General Assembly, noting that “only the General Assembly can decide the future of UNRWA.”

Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent of any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.