UN rapporteur on target: human rights of Palestinians must be addressed Commentary
UN rapporteur on target: human rights of Palestinians must be addressed
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Jessica Montell [Executive Director, B'Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories]: "Much of Professor Dugard's report simply reiterates what B'Tselem has documented extensively over the past several years: in many spheres the human rights situation for Palestinians in the Occupied Territories has deteriorated. This is patently clear in the Gaza Strip, where 1.5 million people are trapped in a virtual prison, in crushing poverty and no possibility of development, given the siege imposed by Israel. It is also clear in the West Bank, where Palestinian movement has also become a privilege rather than a basic right, and two parallel and discriminatory legal systems govern Palestinians and settlers living side by side.

In this context, it is appropriate that Professor Dugard pose serious questions about the UN — a body which has recently reaffirmed human rights as a central pillar — and its role in the Quartet, the body spearheading the political response of the international community to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The dilemma is not only how the UN and the Quartet should respond to Israel's violations of human rights and international law. These questions are exacerbated because the UN and the Quartet are not merely bystanders but active participants in the Israeli-Palestinian context and their actions themselves can constitute violations of the law. Thus, for example, the international community's boycott of the Hamas government in Gaza has clear implications for the ability of the Gaza population to realize their rights.

Both diplomacy and humanitarian assistance must respect international law. It is not only Israel that must respect international law. Individually and collectively, the members of the Quartet have legal obligations that cannot be ignored."

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