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Al Mezan Urges States to Support Resolution on Ensuring Accountability, to Provide Protection and Justice

General Debate

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18 March 2019

Human Rights Council 40th session

Agenda item 7

General Debate

 

Al Mezan Urges States to Support Resolution on Ensuring Accountability, to Provide Protection and Justice

 

The humanitarian and human rights situation in Gaza is at a breaking point. Israeli domestic remedies are unfit and unwilling to provide protection or accountability, as per its duties as occupier.

 

Al Mezan urges Member States to support the findings of the UN CoI on the 2018 protests in Gaza, notably by voting in favour of the tabled resolution on ensuring accountability this week. It is essential that effective follow-up on and implementation of the CoI recommendations are put in place.

 

The closure policy has resulted in devastating and inhumane living conditions in Gaza and is the main driver of the demonstrations. They started to garner international attention to the illegal closure of Gaza, as well as to stress the right of return.

 

The 11-year closure of Gaza has led to extreme poverty in Gaza, to the highest unemployment in the world, daily blackouts and severe pollution.

 

The Israeli authorities currently restrict the fishing zone to between three and six nautical miles. Fishermen within and beyond this zone risk violent attack, arrest and confiscation of their boats.

 

Medical patients seeking treatment outside of Gaza, due to the unavailability of many healthcare services in Gaza, face enormous obstacles, which often determine life and death.[1]

 

There is an urgent need to lift the closure on Gaza now. Al Mezan urges Member States to support the CoI report and further the pursuit of accountability in order to provide protection for Palestinian civilians who remain vulnerable to continued violation of their rights by the State of Israel.

 

[1] Al Mezan, “Gaza’s Patients under Severe Pressure on World Cancer Day”, 4 Feb 2019. Available at:  http://mezan.org/en/post/23365

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