New York, 8 November 2016. Within the framework of the Fourth Committee, Cuba introduced today on behalf of the cosponsors, five draft resolutions submitted to the Committee under agenda item 50: “Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practice Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories.”
On this occasion, Ambassador Ana Silvia Rodríguez Abascal, Deputy Permanent Representative of Cuba to the United Nations, described that as in past sessions, these draft resolutions focus on the many violations of international law, particularly humanitarian and human rights law, committed by Israel, the occupying Power, in the context of its nearly fifty-year foreign military occupation of the Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the Syrian Golan since 1967 and whichhave been thoroughly documented by relevant UN bodies and other international organizations on the ground.
Within this framework, she condemned illegal policies and practices sustained by Israel in a deliberate and systematic manner,in breach of its legal obligations as the occupying Power under the 4th Geneva Convention and the numerous relevant General Assembly and Security Council. “This has included the killing and injury of Palestinian civilians in an ongoing cycle of violence; the arrest and detention of Palestinians, including children; the forced displacement and attempts at forcible transfer of Palestinians; provocations and incitement, especially in Occupied East Jerusalem; and a vast array and network of collective punishment measures, the most egregious of which remains the air, land and sea blockade of the Gaza Strip, inflicting near total isolation and deep deprivation on the 2 million Palestinian civilians there”, she considered.
While describing the content of the draft resolutions considered by the 4th Committee for recommendation to the General Assembly, the Ambassador commented that they address all of these violations consistent with the relevant provisions of international law and reiterate the calls for compliance by Israel, the occupying Power, with the Charter, the 4th Geneva Convention, the human rights covenants and all relevant UN resolutions, demanding an end to human rights violations, urging immediate efforts to reverse the negative trends on the ground and stop the deterioration of the situation, and calling for serious efforts to be exerted towards achievement of a just, comprehensive and lasting peace to end this ongoing injustice and conflict.
Ending her remarks, on behalf of the cosponsors, she expressed hopes that Member States will once again give their strong support to these important draft resolutions regarding serious matters of human rights and the prospects for peace and that efforts will be exerted to uphold international law to promote realization of the rights of the Palestinian people, including to self-determination and independence, and a just, lasting and peaceful solution to the conflict. (Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations)