Mansour Raises Continued Violations before Security Council, General Assembly
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- Published on Tuesday, 10 April 2012 12:31
PNN
The Palestinian delegate to the UN, Riyad Mansour sent a letter to the General-Secretary of the United States, the head of the Security Council and the head of the General Assembly regarding Israel's systematic destruction of the two-state solution through the sustained escalation of the campaign of illegal Jewish settlements.
The settlement campaign aims to control Palestinian territories, confiscating more Palestinian land and demolishing homes. Provocative statements call for the construction of new settlements and expansion of the existing settlements.
In a press release from the Palestinian representative office of the UN, Mansour reported that on 4th April, the Israeli government submitted construction tenders of 1,121 new settlement units in the Occupied Palestinian Territories; 827 new units in the illegal settlement of "Har Homa" (Abu Ghneim) in southern Jerusalem, and 180 units in Giv'at Ze'ev settlement, north of Jerusalem. He also mentioned the head of the Jerusalem municipality's issued statement on 2nd April about the plans to build new settlement units in Jerusalem.
Mansour discussed the continuous assaults against Palestinians by settlers and Israeli forces, citing the use of "non-lethal" military weapons like tear gas and "skunk," against Palestinian cities and villages. He recounted a recent Palestinian martyr and several wounded people and dozens who have been recently arrested.
Representative Mansour also examined the inhumane and aggressive policies against Palestinian prisoners by Israeli forces. Israeli authorities continue to use the administrative detention against hundreds of prisoners without pressing charges or holding trials. 12 Palestinians are still on hunger strike against the decision, 61 Palestinian prisoners were wounded in Nafha prison during a raid by Israeli forces. 1st April, prisoners were forced to undergo DNA tests.
Mansour, on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, called on the international society, especially the Security Council, to condemn the settlements and other illegal activities and policies occurring in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, especially Jerusalem. Mansour emphasized that it must take immediate procedures to put pressure on Israel to cease these actions and policies.
