GENEVA, 10 August 2015 (UN News Service): A United Nations human rights committee has completed its annual evaluation of the situation affecting millions of people living in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
It cited Israel’s policy of settlement expansion as a primary driver of the escalating violence in the area.
In a press release to mark the end of its five-day fact-finding visit to Amman, Jordan, the UN Special Committee to investigate Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories, said that the “root cause” of the escalating violence in the Territories is “the continuing policy of settlement expansion and the climate of impunity (straffrihed) relating to the activities of the settlers.”
This conclusion came about after a series of meetings with civil society groups and Palestinian officials.
Nattebesøg og politihunde
Indeed, over the past weeks, tensions in the Territories between Israeli settlers and Palestinians have been further enflamed following a series of deadly incidents between the two groups.
Most recently, in the village of Duma, an 18-month-old Palestinian baby died following the fire-bombing of the house by Israeli settlers. The father of the baby, who had sustained serious injuries in the attack, subsequently died on 8 August.
In addition to the violence, the Committee was also briefed “extensively” on what it described as “increasing human rights violations” on women and children through the repeated use of night raids and police dogs by Israeli authorities.
The UN experts were told that many women were subjected to “humiliating treatment in the presence of their families” during these operations.
“Intet er sket” i Gaza
The situation regarding the pace of reconstruction in the Gaza Strip was also brought to the UN Committee’s attention by civil society representatives who lamented the slow pace of developments following the destruction of the enclave during last summer’s war.
In fact, after more than a year, not a single housing unit completely destroyed during the conflict, last summer, has been fully reconstructed.
According to the UN, some 100,000 people remain displaced as a result of the widespread structural devastation across the Strip and continue to be hosted in temporary accommodation or in make-shift shelters.
Close to a 120,000 people are still waiting to be reconnected to the city water supply. Work has yet to begin on a number of key health facilities.
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http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=51597#.Vckv8xyQe0M
Begynd fra: “At the same time, the experts addressed the persistent funding shortfall….”
500.000 bosættere
Der bor i dag 500.000 bosættere på Vestbredden og i Østjerusalem. Israel fortsætter med at ekspandere eksisterende bosættelser og annoncere nye annekteringer af land.
Palæstinenserne frygter, at bosættelser i fremtiden vil gøre det umuligt at skabe et Palæstina på Vestbredden med Østjerusalem som hovedstad.
Bosættelserne er ikke blot boliger. Det er også veje, hvor kun bosætterne kører, så de ikke må færdes på samme veje som araberne.
Bosætterne inddrager i stigende grad jord til landbrug, de planter vinranker og oliventræer – ofte på palæstinensisk ejet jord – samtidig med, at de i flere tilfælde forhindrer deres palæstinensiske naboer i at dyrke deres jord.
