Joint Statement to the 6th Special Session of the Human Rights Council International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
Statement to the 6th Special Session of the Human Rights Council
23 January, 2008
Mr. President,
First of all we We would like to express our appreciation to the Members of the Human Rights Council who have taken the initiative to request the convening of this Special Session at a time when the ongoing atrocities against the people of Palestine call for effective action by every country truly dedicated to the United Nations.
Lately the world was given a hope, however small, that a more peaceful future was in the making for the people of Palestine. However this hope has been shattered in the most brutal way by the Israeli military attacks in West Bank and Gaza and the criminal siege of Gaza which is causing immense suffering to the civilian population.
Once again Israel is displaying its utter contempt for the United Nations Charter, international Human Rights standards and the core principles of International Humanitarian Law. The reports coming out of Gaza and the West Bank fills us with horror – the people as a whole, young and old, have become victims of the collective punishment meted out by Israel.
The comfort offered to Israel in the United Nations and the international community over the past years have as is evident now produced no other results than continued defiance of international law and the resolutions of the United Nations. And indeed the sufferings of the people of the occupied Palestinian territories have been further aggravated by international sanctions measures, not against the occupier and aggressor, but against Palestinian institutions gravely affecting the livelihood of civilian population.
Today and throughout the week popular demonstrations are taking place all over the world to protest against the Israeli criminal actions and express solidarity with the people of Palestine. The peoples of the world demand concrete and effective action by all governments and concerned international institutions, first and foremost the United Nations to stop the Israeli atrocities. The action of the Human Rights Council today no doubt is a good sign and will help to enhance the respect and authority of the Human Rights Council. But it can not stop with this. The Human Rights Council must remain seized with the Israeli violations and the accumulated consequences of the Human Rights catastrophe in the occupied territories caused by Israel. We wish in the future to see more concrete decisions and recommendations to offer international protection for the people of Palestine are desperately needed.
We call on all Member States to take individual and joint action to put pressure on Israel by reducing or cutting of such relations with Israel that sustain and encourage its policies of war military aggression, occupation and human rights violations. We believe that it is only through this course of action that respect for international law can be upheld when faced with a serial violator defying the norms of humanity. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights could be asked to receive and publish information on such measures taken by Member States.
In view of the grave violations of International Humanitarian Law the Human Rights Council may wish to recommend that the parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to meet and deliberate in accordance with their responsibilities as parties to the Convention.
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