Following Israel’s recent crimes committed in Palestine and the death and injuires of hundreds of people, the ODVV alongside 23 international NGOs in separate letters to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Michelle Bachelet and UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied PalestinianTerritories Mr. Michael Lynk protested the grave human rights violations committed by Israel.
The main focal points of this letter which NGOs from numerous countries such as Norway, Sweden, Germany, Denmark and Lebanon had cosigned is as follows.
Focal points in the letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
- Call on the High Commissioner to utilize all her capacities and resources to prevent the occupation of Palestine, help to protect Palestinians right to protect themselves and return peaceto the region.
- Call on the High Commissioner to utilize all her capacities and resources to conduct a transparent and independent investigation in the case file against Israel which the Palestinian Authority submitted to the International Criminal Court.
- Call on the Human Rights Council Member States to allocate necessary extra resources for the protection of Palestinians.
- Remind that in 2004 in its advisory opinion with regards to the security barrier, rejected Israel’s justification for self-defense, because it was not proven to the Court that rockets fired from Gaza were fired from an independent state.
- Call on the High Commissioner to prevent giving Israel an above the law status and its immunity following the continued and blatant violation of international law, international humanitarian law and all UN resolutions.
Focal points of the letter to the Special Rapporteur on Occupied Palestinian Territories
- Confirm the contents of the Special Rapporteur’s joint statement dated 11 May 2021 that “Neither short-term calm nor long-term peace will be accomplished as long as the national and individual rights of the City’s Palestinian population are routinely abrogated.”, and “A militarized response to civilian protests against discriminatory practices only deepens social divisions. Respecting rights is the only path forward,”
- Condemn any form of resorting to violence to reach political objectives.
- Importance of the preservation of the right of Palestinians to self-defense and express regret for the inability of the international community to prevent the blatant violation of Palestinians’ fundamental rights such as right to life, peace and personal security, by Israel.
- Reiterate the adopted numerous UN resolutions and reports that the people of Palestine are suffering from intentional discriminatory collective punishment, ethnic cleansing, forced evictions, demolition of property, annexation, occupation, racist and Apartheid policies and treatments of Israel and the suffering of Palestinians from the violation of all their human rights in the Occupied Territories.
- Condemn the recent violence committed by Israel, killing of the people that include innocent women and children and destruction of whatever buildings are left and civilian infrastructures which resulted in the destruction of civilian infrastructures in Gaza and destruction of whatever buildings are left in the Gaza Strip, and all these crimes are on the pretext of Hamas being present in the targeted locations.
- Welcomed the recent ceasefire and those who condemned Israel for its attacks and killing of hundred and maybe thousands of Palestinians in airstrikes and artillery strikes.
- Complaint against the continued attempts of Israel in shutting up and scaring journalists and stifling the voices of civil society members and human rights defenders, such as the striking the residence building of news media reducing it to rubble so that the world hears less than what is happening in the Gaza blockade.
- Complaint against the siding of Instagram and Facebook with Israel under the pretext of confrontation with inciting violence, deleting Palestinian posts so that the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israel which are collected and documented by civil society activists and human rights defenders risking their own lives are not revealed to the world.
- Expressed grave concern from the new rounds of killings, violence and aggression by Israel against the Palestinian people and urgency in the international community to return peace to the region.
- Call on the Special Rapporteur to take decisive and swift action for freedom and protection of Palestinians from killings, unlawful collective inhuman and degrading punishment.
- Complaint against Israel and its allies’ efforts to prevent the voices of Gaza from being heard and the news of IDF strikes and attacks from reaching journalists, civil society activists and human rights defenders.
- Call for Special Rapporteur’s effective action for the prevention of Israel’s attempts to drown the voice of the Palestinian people and removal of video contents to prevent the international community from being witness.
- Call on the Special Rapporteur to utilize all existing capacities and resources to return peace to the region and study the right of Palestinians to self-defense and put his findings in future annual reports to the Human Rights Council and or the UN General Assembly.
- Call on the Special Rapporteur to utilize all existing capacities and resources to conduct a transparent and independent investigation the case against Israel which the Palestinian Authority submitted to the ICC.
- Call on the Special Rapporteur to endeavor towards confrontation with Israel’s immunity towards the continued, systematic, blatant and extensive violation of human rights and violation of international law and international humanitarian law, and all UN resolutions which are binding to be adhered to according to international law.
It must be said written by the below-mentioned Organizations was sent directly to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Special Rapporteur on Occupied Palestinian territories.
The said signatory NGOs are as follows:
1- Association d'amitié Euro-Arabe Syrian Medical Committee
2- Arab Women's Union in Norway
3- Communauté Palestinienne en Belgique
4- European Alliance for the Solidarity with the Palestinian Detainees
5- Follow up Committee for the Support of the Lebanese Detainees in the Israeli Prisons
6- Forum Démocratique Palestinien en Europe
7- Geneva Council for International Affairs and Development
8- German-Palestinian Women’s Union
9- Group 194, Sweden
10- International Organization for Supporting the Rights of the Palestinian People
11- Khiam Rehabilitation Center for the Victims of Torture
12- Palestinian Community in Germany
13- Palestinian Community in Mönchengladbach
14- Palestinian Democratic Assembly in Denmark
15- Palstinain Democratic Gathring in Denmark
16- Palestinian Friendship Association Wuppertal
17- Palestinian Women’s Association
18- Palestinian Roman Center
19- Palestnske forretning I vest Agder-Norway
20- Protection et Aide aux défenseurs des droits de l'homme (PADDH)
21- Right of Return Committees in Denmark
22- Right of Return Committees in Norway
23- Union of the Palestinian Community’s, Institution’s and Events in Europe
1- Association d'amitié Euro-Arabe Syrian Medical Committee
2- Arab Women's Union in Norway
3- Communauté Palestinienne en Belgique
4- European Alliance for the Solidarity with the Palestinian Detainees
5- Follow up Committee for the Support of the Lebanese Detainees in the Israeli Prisons
6- Forum Démocratique Palestinien en Europe
7- Geneva Council for International Affairs and Development
8- German-Palestinian Women’s Union
9- Group 194, Sweden
10- International Organization for Supporting the Rights of the Palestinian People
11- Khiam Rehabilitation Center for the Victims of Torture
12- Palestinian Community in Germany
13- Palestinian Community in Mönchengladbach
14- Palestinian Democratic Assembly in Denmark
15- Palstinain Democratic Gathring in Denmark
16- Palestinian Friendship Association Wuppertal
17- Palestinian Women’s Association
18- Palestinian Roman Center
19- Palestnske forretning I vest Agder-Norway
20- Protection et Aide aux défenseurs des droits de l'homme (PADDH)
21- Right of Return Committees in Denmark
22- Right of Return Committees in Norway
23- Union of the Palestinian Community’s, Institution’s and Events in Europe