On 64th Anniversar
of Human Rights, Guaranteed by International Legality, and Calls on
International Community to Uphold Its Responsibilities and Stand Up for
Justice
Tuesday 15 May 2012 marks the 64th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba (the
Palestinian national catastrophe of 1948), one of the largest ethnic
cleansings in modern history. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were
forced to leave their houses and lands. Until today they remain deprived of
their right to self-determination, as other peoples in the region were
deprived of that right under foreign colonization at the time of the Nakba.
The 64th anniversary of the Nakba comes as Israeli displacement of
Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank continues. It comes this year
amidst collective punishment by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) of the
population of the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), including the Gaza
Strip, where the siege and closure continue. Moreover, the IOF has
continued its systematic attacks against civilians and civilian objects
throughout the oPt. The Nakba comes as Palestinian detainees in Israeli
prisons suffer trying circumstances which threaten their lives. We are
badly in need of effective Palestinian reconciliation, and unification of
the Palestinian political system and efforts to bolster the struggle for the
right to independence, self-determination, and statehood.
Documentation by the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights demonstrates that
Israeli attacks and other policies are violating international humanitarian
law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL) and depriving
Palestinians of their basic rights. These violations include preventing
access to medical treatment; preventing fishermen from working by imposition
of a three-nautical-mile fishing zone; and depriving thousands of farmers of
access to their lands near the border. The IOF has also escalated its
attacks on Gaza, which have affected civilian infrastructure, houses,
educational facilities, places of worship, and other civilian objects.
In the West Bank, the construction of the Separation Wall by Israel not only
alters the character of the oPt, but also undermines any possibility for
establishing an independent Palestinian state. It has already inflicted
serious harm on Palestinian civilians and their property. The IOF keeps the
majority of Palestinian land in the West Bank under its full control and has
already seized about 50% of the land. In practice, the IOF has fragmented
the West Bank into cantons that divide towns from one other and separate
villages from their land. The Wall causes harm to tens of thousands of
Palestinians, seizes water sources, and prevents thousands from accessing
adequate medical care and education.
In Jerusalem, the IOF has intensified its actions in the eastern parts of
the city, including forced evictions and house demolitions, and use of
occupied Palestinian lands to build public facilities. These acts have
displaced thousands of Palestinians while, at the same time, Jewish families
are encouraged to take up residence in emptied Palestinian homes and
Jewish-only settlements.
The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights condemns these continuous Israeli
crimes, which blatantly violate international law and demonstrate Israel's
disregard for its legal obligations. Al Mezan calls on the international
community to swiftly intervene, as the Palestinian cause is a cause of human
rights-rights guaranteed by international law. The United Nations and its
member states bear special responsibility for the "Question of Palestine"
and should act accordingly. Al Mezan also calls on the international
community to end its policy of silence, to uphold its legal obligations to
end Israel's continuous abuses, and to promptly provide protection for
Palestinians in the oPt as a step towards implementation of UN resolutions
related to the conflict in the region, particularly those concerning the
Palestinians' right to return, reparation, and self-determination.
Al Mezan reiterates its condemnation of the continuous Israeli violations of
human rights in its treatment of Palestinians. It also condemns Israel's
disregard of the Palestinian fundamental and inalienable rights to be free
from occupation. Al Mezan strongly condemns these violations, as well as
Israel's continued disregard of the Palestinian people's right to freedom,
self-determination, return, and statehood.
Al Mezan asserts that the grave, decades-long violations of IHRL and IHL
committed by the IOF constitute grave breaches of international law and that
their perpetrators must be held accountable. In this context, Al Mezan
supports all efforts aiming to establish accountability. Al Mezan also
emphasizes that an end this conflict cannot be achieved without founding a
peaceful settlement on a strong basis of justice and respect for human
rights and international law. Al Mezan therefore calls upon the
international community to stop sacrificing human rights in the pursuit of a
peaceful settlement. The past decades indicate that this approach is
doomed: it ensures neither peace nor respect for human rights and dignity.
Al Mezan calls on all peoples to strengthen their solidarity with the
Palestinian people and its struggle for freedom, self-determination, and
statehood, and to exert pressure on their governments to take effective
steps to confront the ongoing Israeli crimes against the Palestinians.
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