GAZA, October 31, 2005 (IPC + Agencies) - - A United Nations expert stated that the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) has become a challenge for the international community's commitment to spreading the principles of human rights, in the shadow of continuous infringements of such principles.
John Dugard, Special UN Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967, said in a report before the UN Third Committee's meeting in New York that the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza Strip and northern West Bank has liberated more lands for the Palestinian people to govern themselves without an occupying army.
He further added that Gaza was not occupied anymore, but stressing that Israel continues to control it through dominating borders, air space and regional waters, as well as preventing Gazans from moving freely to and from the West Bank or neighboring countries.
"In the weeks following its withdrawal, Israel exposed the Strip to intensive bombing and sonic booms, as well as resuming assassination of armed militants, and keeping 650 Palestinian prisoners from Gaza inside Israeli jails," Dugard stated in his report.
His report further mentioned that status of Gaza Strip, asserting that it was impossible not to regard Israel as an occupying power despite its withdrawal from Gaza, thus, it remains subjected to the provisions of the international humanitarian law.
"In my report," Dugard added, "I have predicted that Israel will take decisions related to the future of Gaza Strip in order to draw attention away from its regional expansion in the West Bank through constructing the [Apartheid] wall and settlements, and unfortunately this prediction was accurate."
As for the Apartheid Wall, the UN Rapporteur said, "the wall built by Israel will extend along 700 kilometers once completed, but only 150 kilometers will conform with the Green Line. Only 240 kilometers were completed from the wall, which delves deep into Palestinian territories, and will delve deeper to include major settlement blocs such as Gush Etzion near Bethlehem, Maale Adomim near Jerusalem and Ariel near Nablus.
"This will divide Palestine into isolated cantons and will destroy the geographical contiguity of territories," he further warned.
"Israel is also using the wall as a tool to drastically alter the nature of East Jerusalem, which is illegitimately occupied. These alterations aim to reduce the number of Palestinians in the city, increase the number of illegitimate Jewish settlers and convert East Jerusalem into a Jewish city."
Meanwhile, and in response to Dugard's report, Israel's representative to the Third Committee, Tovia Israeli, chose to attack the UN Rapporteur personally, arguing that "he [Dugard] has misused his position to pass on his personal bigotry and political agenda."
However, Dugard's report was vastly welcomed by the member countries of the Committee, including representatives of Sudan, Libya, Joran, Syria, Cuba and the UK, which is attending on behalf of the European Union.
The report was only criticized by Israel and the United States.
