Palestinian Foreign Ministry: American position on report of International Commission of Inquiry is biased towards the occupation

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry affirmed that the US position on the report of the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry is biased towards the Israeli occupation and contradicts human rights principles, providing protection and cover for the occupation and encouraging it to persist in committing more crimes.

In a statement today, carried by Wafa Agency, the ministry stated that the US State Department spokesperson claimed, in commenting on the report, keenness to strengthen the human rights situation. He reiterated paradoxically his country’s call for equal measures of freedom, security, prosperity and dignity without explaining how he could achieve such equal measures in light of the continuation of the Israeli occupation and settlement of the land of the State of Palestine. The Ministry shed light on how this position can be translated into practical steps to ensure its implementation on the ground in light of Washington’s failure to exercise the required and necessary pressure to stop the violations and crimes of the occupation and settlers against the Palestinian people and their homeland.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry stressed that what is required of the US administration and the international community is to put an end to Israel’s impunity, as a prelude to forcing it to comply with international law and United Nations resolutions, which leads to obligating it to end its occupation of the land of the State of Palestine, including Jerusalem.

Last Tuesday, the UN new Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territories issued its first report, which stressed the need to end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and stop practices of racial discrimination against Palestinians, including forced displacement from their lands and homes, house demolitions, settlements construction and expansion, and settlers’ attacks under the protection of the occupation forces, in addition to imposing a strict siege on the Gaza Strip.

The Commission of Inquiry issued its report after conducting an evaluation of the recommendations made by previous commissions of inquiry, fact-finding missions and other United Nations mechanisms, in addition to special hearings. The report will be presented to the Human Rights Council on the 13th  of this month.

Inas Abdulkareem