Gaza - New York: Europe and the Arabs
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said that accountability and justice for violations are crucial to ending the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict and stopping the cycle of violence, stressing that "any plans for a better future must deal with the past." According to the UN daily news bulletin, a copy of which we received this morning, Thursday.
In his speech during a meeting of the Human Rights Council on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, Türk said that people in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have been "suffocating under Israeli occupation" for more than 57 years, and are being deprived of even their most basic human rights.
He stressed that there is absolutely no justification for the "horrific attacks" committed by Hamas and other armed groups on October 7, 2023, nor is there any justification for the "horrific manner" in which Israel conducted its military operations in Gaza, "which consistently violated the basic principles of international humanitarian law."
He said that the restrictions imposed by Israel in Gaza, despite its obligations as an occupying power, have created a "humanitarian catastrophe." Meanwhile, Israel has escalated its use of “unnecessary and disproportionate” force against Palestinians, destroying refugee camps, severely restricting movement and displacing tens of thousands of people in the West Bank. Torture and ill-treatment of detainees have also been a persistent and appalling feature on all sides, he added.

Unprecedented disregard for international law
The High Commissioner said there had been “unprecedented disregard for the principles of international humanitarian law” in the conduct of hostilities in Gaza and Israel.
He stressed that Israeli means and methods of warfare had caused staggering levels of casualties and destruction, “raising concerns about the possible commission of war crimes and other atrocity crimes”.
On the other hand, he said, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups had taken, detained and tortured hostages in Gaza, and fired indiscriminately into Israeli territory, “which amount to war crimes”.
“Any attempts to shape a peaceful future where such horrors are never repeated must ensure that perpetrators are held accountable,” Türk said. “The tragic record of this conflict, and many others, clearly shows how impunity breeds more violence. Abuse is unleashed across other war zones. This harms us all, and for future generations. The delegitimization and threatening of international institutions, which exist to serve people and uphold international law, harms us all. Clearly, all these violations and abuses need to be independently investigated.”

Reasonable Voices
The High Commissioner stressed the need to end the conflict, release all hostages unconditionally, release arbitrarily detained detainees, and end “Israel’s illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory” as soon as possible.

He said any normalization of illegal conduct, “including proposals for annexation or forcible transfer, which could threaten the peace and security of Palestinians, Israelis and the wider region, must be resisted.”
“This is the moment for reasonable voices to prevail. We need solutions that will achieve justice, and allow for compassion, healing and truth-telling. This begins with seeing the pain and suffering of the other. We have seen too much dehumanizing rhetoric, including, unfortunately, from political leaders. Defending and upholding the international edifice of human rights and law is everyone’s responsibility. There is no alternative for Israelis, Palestinians and our shared humanity.”