Today, Monday, 28 November 2011, the ‘First WHO (World Health Organisation) European Conference on the New European Policy for Health - Health 2020’ is being held in Jerusalem and hosted by Israel.
Holding this conference in the city of Jerusalem is in flagrant violation of the international consensus on the status of Jerusalem.
The decision for the location of the conference has also come under harsh condemnation from Palestinians, dozens of local and international health organizations, and the Arab League.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights questions the violation by WHO, which is a United Nations specialized agency, of UN resolutions concerning Jerusalem.
The UN has granted the city a special status since 1947.
Moreover, the UN has a firm position on the status of East Jerusalem as part of the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) and its status has been asserted as such in several UN resolutions that are consistent with international law.
Organizing an international conference in Jerusalem upon an Israeli invitation is a flagrant violation of resolutions issued by the UN General Assembly and Security Council as well as declarations from other international organizations.
The International Court of Justice in its 2004 advisory opinion on the legality of Israel’s construction on the Separation Wall in the West Bank also asserted the legal status of Jerusalem as occupied territory.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights views the decision of WHO and the participating states to organize the conference in Jerusalem as a threat to Jerusalem, its people, and its status as Palestinian territory under occupation.
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have continued to violate the rights of Palestinians in Jerusalem, including building illegal settlements which evict and forcibly displace Palestinian residents.
These acts come in a context of establishing new facts on the ground, forcing a Jewish identity on the city in order to facilitate its illegal annexation by Israel.
WHO, as a UN agency, has a duty to respect UN resolutions and international law and to avoid involving itself in such sensitive political issues, which might cause harm to civilians under occupation.
Therefore Al Mezan Center for Human Rights calls on WHO and the participating countries to suspend conference activities and to move its location.
  Ends