Bethlehem / PNN /

At its 58th session, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and the commitment to ensuring accountability and justice. The resolution was supported by 27 countries, opposed by 4.

The resolution called for an end to the illegal occupation of the Palestinian territory, in accordance with the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice, the lifting of the blockade of the Gaza Strip, condemning Israel, the occupying power, for violating the ceasefire agreement.

The resolution also affirmed the illegality of the forced displacement of Palestinians and the use of starvation as a tool of war. It emphasized the need to achieve justice and accountability, calling on the international community to uphold its responsibilities to comply with and respect international law, including by halting arms trade with the occupying power.

The resolution demanded that the occupying power allow the Fact-Finding Mission to enter the occupied Palestinian territory so that it can carry out its mandate.

It also called for a halt to all illegal measures on the ground, including the expansion of settlements, the demolition of facilities, and the revocation of residency permits for Palestinians in East Jerusalem.

It called for an end to policies of religious discrimination in access to holy sites and discrimination in the distribution of water resources.

The resolution also called for an end to arbitrary policies against Palestinian prisoners, stressing the need to hold perpetrators of war crimes accountable, and to establish a permanent international investigative mechanism to collect evidence and prosecute those responsible for the crimes committed.

In his speech, the Permanent Representative of the State of Palestine to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Ibrahim Khraishi, condemned the ongoing aggression that lasted for 18 months, which has resulted in the killing of more than 170,000 people, most of whom are children and women.

It also condemned the use of starvation policies, the denial of humanitarian aid, and the targeting of civilian facilities, journalists, and health workers.

Ambassador Khraishi referred to the heinous crime committed by the occupation forces in Rafah last Sunday, which resulted in the killingof 15 paramedics and rescue workers. This crime comes in the context of the ongoing aggression and forced displacement in the Gaza Strip and the northern West Bank.

He also condemned the punitive measures announced by the occupation's Minister of Internal Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, against Palestinian prisoners, describing them as a flagrant violation of the Geneva Conventions, particularly given the presence of more than 9,500 Palestinian detainees, including 3,500 administrative detainees, 400 children, dozens of women, and an unknown number of cases of enforced disappearance.

Ambassador Khraishi spoke about the failure to hold the Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions last February due to double standards and the lack of international will, which has prevented practical steps to hold the occupation accountable.

He further called for the implementation of UN resolutions, including the International Court of Justice's Advisory Opinion on the illegality of the occupation and the need to end it immediately, as well as the implementation of the International Criminal Court's decisions and arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu and Galant.

He condemned the attempts of some countries to evade the implementation of these warrants, considering that such behavior undermines justice and hinders the achievement of security and peace.