Ref: 61/2022
Date: 07 June 2022
Press release,
ICSPR welcomes the report of the Permanent International Fact-Finding Commission.
The International Commission to Support Palestinians’ Rights “ICSPR” welcomes the publication of the Permanent International Fact-Finding Commission’s first report; Today, Tuesday, 07 June 2022, which clearly indicated that the continuation of the Israeli belligerent occupation of Palestinian land and discrimination against the Palestinians are the root causes behind recurrent tensions, instability and prolongation of conflict in the region.
The report provided evidence that the Israeli military occupation forces do not intend to end the state of occupation, and that they implement a number of policies to ensure the continuation of their full control over the occupied Palestinian land, and are working to change the demographic composition of the occupied territories by maintaining an environment that oppresses the Palestinians and in return creating an environment conducive to Israeli settlers. The occupation forces continue to practice a policy of discrimination against Palestinians in every place they exist. In addition, grave violations continue to be committed against Palestinian civilians in an environment that lacks opportunities for accountability.
It is noteworthy that the report will be submitted to the Human Rights Council on June 13, 2022, during the fiftieth session of the Council. It is also mentioned that the Human Rights Council had formed this Commission on 05/27/2021 and appointed its members on 06/22/2021, headed by Ms. Navi Pillay, former Commissioner for Human Rights and a judge in South Africa and a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, in addition to the membership of both the Indian expert Mellon Kothari, who served as Special Rapporteur on the right to housing, and Australian human rights expert Chris Sidoti, to investigate the underlying causes of recurrent tensions and prolongation of conflict, including systemic discrimination and repression based on national, ethnic or religious identity.
ICSPR expresses considers the report as a significant step that would narrow the scope of international impunity, and stresses that any new failure of the international community and its organizations to achieve justice for the Palestinian people will create a situation that will allow for more violations of international law to occur. Therefore:
• ICSPR urges the Human Rights Council to endorse the report of the Commission, and implement all of its recommendations, to ensure that the report is transmitted to other international bodies such as the General Assembly and the International Criminal Court.
• ICSPR calls on the international community to stop the path of sacrificing the principles and values of international law, and to work to transform the decision into an opportunity to hold the Israeli occupation accountable for its crimes, as an essential step to enable the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination.
• ICSPR calls on the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to exert additional and significant efforts in order to ensure the approval of the report by an absolute majority in the Human Rights Council, and the exemplary use of the outputs of reports of the various international committees and consider them as important international documents that contribute to the accountability of the Israeli military and political agents for committing crimes against the Palestinian people.
