UNHRC adopts resolutions against Israel, in favor of Palestine

The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted three resolutions Friday in favor of Palestine, including condemning the actions of Jewish settlers in occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.

Thirty-five resolutions were accepted on the final day of the Council’s 49th session from Feb. 28 to April 1 at the UN office in Geneva.

Pakistan put forward resolutions regarding Israel and Palestine on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and all passed by a substantial majority of votes.

President of the Human Rights Council, Federico Villegas, said it had been the longest session in the history of the Council -- five weeks.

“In a resolution on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, the council reaffirmed the Palestinian people’s right to live in freedom, justice, and dignity and the right to their independent State of Palestine,” said the Council.

States were called to ensure their obligations of non-recognition, non-aid or assistance regarding the serious breaches of norms of international law by Israel and to adopt measures to promote the realization of the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people and assist the UN in carrying out its responsibilities regarding the implementation of that right.

Israeli settlements

There was another resolution on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and the occupied Syrian Golan.

The Council reaffirmed that Israeli settlements established in 1967 in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan were illegal under international law.

It said they constituted a significant obstacle to achieving the two-state solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.

In a resolution on human rights in the Golan Heights, the Council deplored the practices of the Israeli authorities affecting the human rights of Syrian citizens in the Golan Heights.

It requested that the UN chief bring the present resolution to all governments, competent UN organs, specialized agencies, international and regional intergovernmental organizations and international humanitarian organizations.

It called for them to disseminate it as widely as possible and to report on the matter to the Human Rights Council.

The report submitted to the Council by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights highlighted the increase in the number of Jewish settlements, violations of the rights of the settlers and the destruction of private properties in the settlements were given comprehensive coverage.

The report, which deals with illegal settlement activities between Nov. 1, 2020, and Oct. 31, 2021, said Israelis increased the number of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The report said the number of private properties destroyed by Israel in occupied Palestinian territories reached the highest ever recorded by the UN, while it noted that Israeli Security Forces did not protect Palestinians in the face of settler violence.