GENEVA: UN experts questioned Israeli officials yesterday over alleged rights abuses ranging from the demolition of Palestinian houses to mistreatment of detainees and limited Palestinian access to water.
Israel’s delegation defended its record before the United Nations Human Rights Committee, which examined respect for civil and political rights in Israel, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Each UN member state is reviewed every four years.
Israel says that its obligations under international covenants do not extend to the two Palestinian territories but the UN panel and International Court of Justice disagree.
Committee member Cornelis Flinterman noted that the committee was meeting soon after the latest Gaza conflict, when Israeli forces killed about 2,000 Palestinians, including 500 children, and displaced hundreds of thousands in July and August.
Israeli ambassador Eviator Manor said the Jewish state was forced to launch air strikes after Hamas militants fired 300 rockets and kidnapped three Israeli teenagers, later found dead.
Yuji Iwasawa, an panel expert from Japan, said the resumption of a policy of punitive demolition of houses was a concern. “We have reports of Palestinians and Bedouins compelled to give consent to demolition in a coercive environment as a result of (Jewish) settlers’ harassment and violence.”
“We have information that Palestinians have been evicted from their agricultural land which impacts on their livelihood and access to food,” he said.
Reuters
