NEW YORK, October 15, 2009 (WAFA)- Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Riad Al-Malki, said implementation of the recommendations of the Goldstone Report on Israeli crime on the its War on Gaza strip, must be seriously pursued.
Speaking before the UN Security Council said the council “should uphold its Charter duty to address such matters critical to the maintenance of international peace and security, and the General Assembly, the International Criminal Court.”
“The Secretary-General, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the international community as a whole - here at the UN, as High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions, and in implementation of the principle of universal jurisdiction,” Al-Malki added “all should act upon the recommendations made in the report in accordance with respective roles and responsibilities.”
“Israel must be stopped from committing the violations and crimes it continues to perpetrate against the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. In this regard, I must also emphasize today the gravity of the situation prevailing in Occupied East Jerusalem,” he stressed. “The situation is highly volatile due to Israel’s illegal and provocative actions. and incitement, including the flagrant pursuit of settlement activities and acts by extremist settlers at Al-Haram Al-Sharif compound, requiring urgent attention and action by the international community, including this Security Council.”
“While as a central part of the effort to advance the cause of peace - the entire international community has been calling in unison for an immediate and complete cessation of Israeli settlement activities, including so-called “natural growth” in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in East Jerusalem,” he said.“Israel continues to disrespect these calls and to flout international law and UN resolutions with outright fervor.”
He said: “We want to turn the page on this horrific and tragic chapter for Palestine and cross the threshold into a new era in which our people can live in peace, freedom and dignity in their independent State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, exercising the rights to which all human beings are entitled but which they have for so long been denied.”
He added: “On 27 December 2008 against the defenseless Palestinian civilian population, of whom more than 1,400, including hundreds of innocent children and women, were brutally killed and more than 5,500 were injured, many permanently, as the occupying forces rampaged through Gaza, using all means of heavy and lethal weaponry and exhibiting a callous disregard for human life. the Human Rights Council request, led to findings that clearly confirm that
“A culture of impunity in the region has lasted for too long. The lack of accountability for war crimes and possible crimes against humanity has reached a crisis point, The mission is convinced that the international community must confront the realities highlighted in this report and that by doing so find a meaningful basis for the pursuit of peace and security for all the people of the region. Only in that way will the human dignity and security of these people be realized.”
“Essentially, what the Goldstone Report constitutes is another damning record of the Israeli crimes committed against our people under occupation, and the recommendations represent a significant contribution towards the pursuit of accountability and justice.” He added that: “while significant deterrent capacity is presented by this report, along with other investigations that preceded it, including by the Secretary-General’s Board of Inquiry, the League of Arab States’ Independent Fact Finding Committee on Gaza, the ICRC, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and numerous other organizations, it is clear that serious follow up at all levels is imperative. Responsible follow up and action is necessary to bring an end to
The Human Rights Council will convene a special session, based on a Palestinian initiative upon the call of President Mahmoud Abbas, to rectify the malfunction that occurred at the Council in
He said: “we recall sage words by the eminent signatories of the 16 March 2009 open letter to the Secretary-General and the Security Council. We have seen at first hand the importance of investigating the truth and delivering justice for the victims of conflict and believe it is a precondition to move forward and achieve peace in the
“we are cognizant that the
He insured that “the report of the UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, also known as the “Goldstone Report”, constitutes yet another wake-up call to the international community that must not be ignored. At the same time, the volatile situation in Occupied East Jerusalem, the heart of the
He undelined that: “The investigation concluded that Israel failed to take the precautions required by international law to avoid or minimize loss of civilian life, injury to civilians and damage to civilian objects, flagrantly violating the principle of distinction. It concluded that this Israeli military campaign…, aimed at punishing, humiliating and terrorizing the Palestinian civilian population, radically diminishing its economic capacity to sustain itself, and forcing upon it a heightened sense of dependency and vulnerability.”
Finally he said: “we thank all the countries that supported the request for this session. We express the hope that the Human Rights Council will endorse the Goldstone Report and will formally convey it to the respective United Nations bodies in accordance with the report’s recommendations. The credibility and foundations of international human rights and humanitarian law, as well as of the UN as a whole, is at stake.”
“The world has for too long witnessed Israel’s impunity, knowing well that this has been repeatedly fueled by the lack of punishment and accountability,” he concluded.
