NEWYORK, December 4, 2008 (WAFA)- Ambassador Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations, said, Tuesday, that the situation in the whole of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), including East Jerusalem, remains extremely critical due to Israel’s continuing violation of the human rights of the Palestinian people and its continuing colonization of the Palestinian land by a myriad of unlawful means and measures. 

In his statement pronounced before the UN Security Council urgent meeting convened to address the critical situation in the OPT, particularly the grave humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip as a result of the continued siege being imposed by Israel, Riyad Mansour addressed the crisis that is prevailing in the Gaza Strip, where more than 1.5 million Palestinians face miserable socio-economic conditions, as a result of Israel’s siege and closure of the area, which has obstructed even humanitarian aid from reaching the Palestinian civilian population.

Mansour expressed regret that the Libyan ship Al-Marwa, which was attempting to deliver desperately-needed humanitarian supplies to the population, was prevented from doing so by Israel, the Occupying Power. He conveyed the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) appreciation for this Libyan effort and the good-will intentions to provide aid to the Palestinian people by such extraordinary means necessitated by “these most unusual, unacceptable, and indeed deplorable, circumstances that our people find themselves in.”

Regrettably, despite all urgent pleas and repeated appeals, no measures have been undertaken to address the unjust situation in the OPT.

Mansour stated that, “Israel’s collective punishment of the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip constitutes a grave violation of Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which, inter alia, prohibits the Occupying Power from punishing protected persons for an offense he or she has not personally committed and prohibits the imposition of collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism.” He added that this provision of the Convention is being breached by Israel on a massive scope and scale constituting a war crime against the Palestinian people; a crime for which the Occupying Power should be held fully accountable.    

He explained that, every sector of life in the Gaza Strip has been disrupted by this criminal, punitive siege, saying that, “poverty, hunger, disease, and unemployment have risen to alarming levels.”

Mansour stated that 80% of Palestinians in Gaza, the majority of whom are refugees and 50% of whom are children, live below the poverty line, he added that  80% of the population is also dependent on food aid for survival and over 95% of industry, businesses and workshops are now closed and nearly 50% of the workforce is unemployed. He continued on, “health and sanitation systems and other infrastructure are falling into disrepair and decay as spare parts and building materials, including for U.N. projects, remain restricted and in rare supply, hastening the collapse of these systems.”

Mansour specified that the Palestinian leadership is engaged in a peace process and committed to this process to achieve a just, lasting and peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine in all its aspects, but that the existence of this peace process cannot be used as a cover or distraction by the occupying Power as it continues pursuit of illegal policies and practices that are destroying the Palestinian society, destroying the Palestinian land and destroying our chances for achieving an end to the occupation, an end to the conflict and real peace for our peoples.  There is indeed no legal, political, moral or human justification for the inhumane, barbaric policies Israel is carrying out against the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip.

He said that, while the Palestinian leadership continues to exert all efforts to advance the peace process and uphold its commitments, Israel continues instead its illegal practices and provocative actions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including its debilitating and punitive blockade of the Gaza Strip, ensuring the further aggravation of tensions, the undermining of confidence and the continued deterioration of the situation on the ground.

Finally, Mansour concluded by saying that, it is imperative that Israel be compelled first and foremost, immediately and completely lift its siege of the Gaza Strip to allow for movement of persons and goods to ease the isolation and humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian civilian population.  In this regard, he reiterated, the Palestinian National Authority’s readiness to assume responsibility for the Palestinian side of Gaza’s border crossings in line with the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access.