GCC stands firm with Palestine and condemns Israeli aggression
The GCC states have reaffirmed their solidarity with Palestine and condemned the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.
The GCC states also called for civilians to be protected, saying rapid intervention is needed to stop the violence in Palestine..
This was the core message of the GCC’s collective view set out in a statement at the 53rd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva delivered by Ambassador Idris bin Abdul Rahman Alkhanjari, the Sultanate of Oman's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and international organisations in Geneva.
The statement was made during an interactive dialogue on the report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Palestine and the Arab territories occupied since 1967.
In her report, the Special Rapporteur, Ms. Francesca Albanese, says the occupied Palestinian territory had been transformed as a whole into a constantly surveilled open-air prison. Israel’s unlawful carceral practices are tantamount to international crimes which warranted an urgent investigation by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, she adds.
Speaking on behalf of the GCC, Ambassador Alkhanjari said that the continued aggression of the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people, hinders the efforts of the peace process aimed at resolving the Palestinian issue and establishing peace and stability in the Palestinian territories so that the Palestinian people can enjoy their legitimate rights.
In their statement the GCC countries thanked the Special Rapporteur for her report. They condemned what it revealed about violations of the basic rights of Palestinians. They also condemned Israel’s “widescale, systematic deprivation of Palestinians from liberty as a means of tightening control over the occupied territories.”
They rejected Israel’s persistent expansion through actions that violate all international laws and resolutions.
The GCC countries also denounced the pretexts used by the Israeli occupation force to violate the rights of the Palestinian people and deprive them of rights that are stipulated in international laws.
They said Israel makes use of the lack of being held to account internationally for its continued aggression against the Palestinian people, the latest aggression being the storming of Jenin city and Jenin camp that targeted civilians, children and women in civilian neighbourhoods in a flagrant violation of international conventions and laws.
The GCC countries reaffirmed their unwavering position that the Palestinian cause constitutes an issue of key importance. They voiced their full support for the sovereignty of the Palestinian people over all the Palestinian territories occupied since June 1967, as well as their backing for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and international resolutions.
This is an unofficial English version of an Arabic report. To view the official Arabic text, click here.