UNHRC adopts resolution on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory

Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Riyad al-Maliki on Tuesday welcomed the adoption by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) of a resolution on Palestine, according to WAFA.

 

Al-Maliki welcomed in a press statement the adoption of the Human Rights Situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the Obligation to Ensure Accountability and Justice, submitted by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

 

The resolution was adopted by a vote of 32 in favour, 6 against and 8 abstentions.

 

Al-Maliki thanked all states which voted in favor of the resolution for their consistency with the basic principles of international law relative to the protection of human rights and fulfilling their duty to pave the way for prosecuting those responsible for Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Palestinian people and securing justice for the victims and their families.

 

He described all states that voted against the resolution as being aligned with rogue and outlaw states, condoning crimes, obstructing justice and being on the wrong side of history.   

 

The states that voted in favor are Argentina, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, China, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Denmark, Eritrea, Fiji, France, Gabon, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Libya, Mauritania, Mexico, Namibia, Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.

 

The states that voted against are Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Malawi and Togo, while the states that abstained are Bahamas, Czech Republic, India, Marshall Islands, Nepal, Philippines, Ukraine and United Kingdom.

 

Al-Maliki urged all states to encourage compliance with international law as well as adhere and ensure adherence to international humanitarian law in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, under Article 1 common to the Geneva Conventions, including imposing sanctions on Israeli colonialism.

 

According to the United Nations, UNHRC demands that Israel cease its policy of transferring prisoners from the Occupied Palestinian Territory into the territory of Israel, and respect fully its obligations under article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Council calls upon Israel, the occupying Power, to comply immediately with its international law obligations to the protected occupied population, and ensure non-discriminatory access to vaccines for immunization against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, including in coordination with the Government of the State of Palestine.

 

The Council urges Member States to continue to provide emergency assistance to the Palestinian people to alleviate the financial crisis and the dire socioeconomic and humanitarian situation, particularly in the Gaza Strip. The Council further urges Israel to ensure that any arrest, detention and/or trial of Palestinian children is in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, including by refraining from holding criminal proceedings against them in military courts that, by definition, fall short of providing the necessary guarantees to ensure respect for their rights and that infringe upon their right to non-discrimination.

 

The Council also emphasizes the need to ensure that all those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law are held to account through appropriate, fair and independent national or international criminal justice mechanisms, and to ensure the provision of effective remedy for all victims, including full reparations, and stresses the need to pursue practical steps towards these goals to ensure justice for all victims and to contribute to the prevention of future violations.

 

In this context, Ibrahim Khreisheh, the Permanent Representative of the State of Palestine to the United Nations –Geneva, said today at the Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva that those who do not vote for Palestine’s right to hold Israel accountable have no right to demand it elsewhere in the world.

 

“We are surprised to hear that if we invoke Item 7, they say there is kind of singling out,” the ambassador said, adding, “If we go to the International Criminal Court in order to achieve justice, some say that this is unacceptable under the pretext that Palestine is not a recognized state. This is another blunder committed by these countries.”

 

Khreisheh said that “if we move to Item 2, counted the number of resolutions and noted all the observations and amendments with the aim of reaching a consensus, a number of countries that will vote against or abstain will become less. This matter requires, first of all, respecting the rules of diplomatic conduct and negotiation.”

 

He affirmed that “these countries may absolutely not demand accountability anywhere in the world,” stressing that “this double standard, politicization and interference in the affairs of states, as we talk about the principle of accountability, given that the Palestinian issue is a foreign occupation that has been ongoing for than 54 years.”

 

Compiled by: Basma Qaddour