The Guardian 13 February, 2008
UN Human Rights Council
demands lifting of Gaza siege
A Special Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council held on January 23-24 demanded that Israel immediately lift its siege on the occupied Gaza Strip, restore continued supply of fuel, food and medicine and reopen the border crossings.
The Special Session was convened at the request of the Group of Arab States and the Group of the Organisation of Islamic Conference for the purpose of considering and taking action on the "human rights violations emanating from Israeli military incursions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the recent ones in occupied Gaza and the West Bank town of Nablus."
The resolution was carried with 30 Council members voting in favour, one against (Canada) and 15 abstentions. The abstentions were Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cameroon, France, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Korea, Romania, Slovenia, Switzerland and the Ukraine. The United Kingdom and Gabon were absent.
The USA is not a member of the Council.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, said that in December 2007, 58 Palestinians in Gaza had reportedly been killed due to the conflict. Israeli military operations continued also in the West Bank and in particular in the city of Nablus. The Israeli practice of collective punishment (illegal under the Geneva Convention), disproportionate use of force, and targeted killings continued, as did the Palestinian militants’ practice of indiscriminate firing of mortars and rockets into Israel, Ms Arbour said.
The escalating violence had added to the already critical situation in the Gaza Strip, where all legitimate trade with Gaza had come virtually to a halt. The level of desperation became even more starkly apparent last month when thousands of Palestinians poured out of Gaza into Egypt rushing to buy food, fuel, medicines and other supplies that had become scarce in Gaza. On January 20, Gaza’s main power plant shut down.
Ms Arbour noted that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that 80 percent of Gazans lived under the poverty line and depended on food and direct assistance provided by aid agencies.
The Palestinians in Gaza tore down the border wall between Gaza and Egypt (using explosives and cutting equipment), and streamed into Egypt. According to the BBC and other reports, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ordered the Egyptian frontier guards to allow the Palestinians to come and buy their food and necessities and go back, taking care only to ensure that no arms were brought in.
The UN High Commissioner called on the government of Israel to completely lift all restrictions to the free flow of desperately needed aid and essential supplies to Gaza.
Palestine said that the current occupation, siege and raids into Gaza represented war crimes.
Delegation after delegation deplored the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and called for an immediate end to Israel’s disproportionate use of military force, as well as the lifting of the siege of Gaza.
All speakers agreed in calling on Israel to guarantee free access of humanitarian services and supplies to Gaza.
Mohammed Abu-Koash speaking for Palestine, said the current occupation, siege and raids into Gaza represented war crimes and that the perpetrators should be brought to international justice. Israel’s impunity marked a discourse in international law granting it the most favoured nation status, which exempted it from accountability before international law. The international community should intervene and put an end to the Israeli occupation and the suffering of the people.
The resolution adopted by Council expressed grave concern at the repeated Israeli military attacks carried out in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip, which have resulted in loss of life and injuries among Palestinian civilians, including women and children.
It called for urgent international action to put an immediate end to the grave violations committed by the occupying power, Israel, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the series of incessant and repeated Israeli military attacks and incursions therein and the siege of the occupied Gaza Strip.
It also called for immediate protection of the Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Territory in compliance with human rights law and international humanitarian law.
The Council urged all parties concerned to respect the rules of human rights law and international humanitarian law and to refrain from violence against the civilian population.
The resolution requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to report to the Council, at its next session, on the progress made in the implementation of the present resolution