UN rights chief condemns open fire by Israel forces, urges investigation News
UN rights chief condemns open fire by Israel forces, urges investigation
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[JURIST] UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay [official profile] on Tuesday condemned [press release] the killings of protesters along the border between Golan Heights and Syria. Pillay reported that between 30 and 40 protesters had been killed by Israeli security forces along the ceasefire line between the occupied borders. Nearly 20 civilian protesters were reportedly killed [Reuters report] during a protest on June 5 marking the anniversary of the 1967 Middle East war [NPR backgrounder]. Pillay also communicated her concern regarding allegations that Syrian officials encouraged the protesters to tread on dangerous landmine-peppered terrain. Finally, Pillay urged authorities to begin conducting investigations into civilian deaths at a May 15 protest [DPA report] where protesters were killed when Israeli soldiers opened fired on Palestinian and Syrian civilians along the Golan Heights border.

Israel has faced ongoing criticism from the UN and international human rights groups for its action in the Palestinian territories, which have been under Israeli military control since 1967. In January, a UN official alleged [JURIST report] that Israeli authorities had committed several illegal acts [press release] in the Palestinian territories [UNICEF backgrounder] since the start of the year, making the prospect of a viable Palestinian state unlikely. In June 2010, Israeli human rights group B’Tselem [advocacy website] released its annual report [JURIST report], noting an advancement in the rights of Palestinians, but calling for greater improvement. The report found that fatalities had declined by 80 percent compared to the previous year, and the quality of life had improved in the West Bank. The report called on Israel to dismantle all settlements, saying that merely halting new settlements is insufficient. The rights organization also chided Israeli security forces for not adequately protecting Palestinians from violence at the hands of Israelis, criticizing a “history of leniency” against the perpetrators of that violence. In March 2010, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank “illegal” [JURIST report], and supported a plan by Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad [BBC profile] to build the institutions of an independent state by 2011.