Today's Edition
GENEVA (WAM)
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said on Wednesday that the crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory has reached an "inflection point".
Addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva on conditions inside the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Türk said, "A fragile ceasefire is allowing the people of Gaza to breathe, Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees to be released, and lifesaving humanitarian aid to be delivered."
"At this tenuous moment, the world must ask itself how to resolve this decades-old conflict and stop the cycle of violence," Türk said, stressing that any plans for a better future must deal with the past, so accountability and justice for violations are crucial.
Türk highlighted that the people of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have endured decades of Israeli occupation, deprived of their fundamental rights. He cited the death of more than 48,000 lives in Gaza, most of them women and children, as well as over 1,054 medical workers, alongside widespread infrastructure destruction.
He also noted the "unprecedented disregard for the principles of international humanitarian law", raising concerns over the commission of war crimes.
Türk called for an independent investigation into all violations and reiterated the need for an end to Israel's "unlawful presence" in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in line with a ruling by the International Court of Justice.
The High Commissioner added that each phase of the ceasefire must be implemented "in good faith and in full. All of us must do everything in our power to build on it."
