Al-Hamwi: Occupation Authorities Keep Challenging International Legitimacy Resolutions on Occupied Golan, Palestinian Territories

GENEVA- Syria on Monday stressed that the Israeli occupation authorities continue to challenge international legitimacy resolutions which reject the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and the Syrian Golan.

Syria’s Permanent Representative at the UN in Geneva Faisal al-Hamwi said in Syria’s statement at the Geneva-based Human Rights Council session on the situation of human rights in the occupied Arab lands that the Israeli occupation authorities persist in their arrogance and aggressive policy and continue to escalate tension in the region, causing serious deterioration of humanitarian conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan. He criticized Israel’s accelerating campaign to Judaize al-Quds amid international inaction.

He referred to the Jewish settlers’ daily provocations against civilians, Islamic and Christian sanctities, religious and historical sites and farm lands, in addition to their human rights violations and crimes against civilians in the Arab territories.

Al-Hamwi pointed out that thousands of Palestinian and Syrian prisoners have been in the Israeli jails for over thirty years, suffering from the worst forms of violations of the international human law principles, particularly Geneva 1949 agreement on the treatment of civilians and their protection during wartime.

He said that “Israel continues to prevent Syrian citizens of the Golan from visiting their families in Syria through Quneitra crossing, in a shameless defiance of all relevant international agreements.

Al-Hamwi said that” the whole world is witnessing Israel’s persistence in human rights violations, racist practices and military attacks in the occupied Arab lands aiming to perpetuate its occupation.

He added Israel has to realize that these violations won’t make Syrians give up their rights and land to Israeli occupation, “Aggressions and crimes won’t bring peace to Israel, and a policy of settlement building and non-stop attacks won’t make Israel safe’’, he stressed.

Al-Hamwi affirmed the sole way to realize peace is respecting and implementing the international legitimacy resolutions that promote peoples’ right to self-determination and call for Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied Arab lands.

Syria would like to reaffirm that the routine condemnation and dealing with these violations by the Council and Israel’s allies, particularly the US, will encourage a continuation of this extraordinary status quo, al-Hamwi said, adding that this will also enhance Israel’s conviction that it is above accountability and international law, and will lead consequently to ruining the credibility of the UN organization.

H. Mustafa