RAMALLAH, March 21, 2017 (WAFA) – The Foreign Ministry criticized on Tuesday states that decided to boycott discussion within the United Nations Human Right Council (UNHRC) on Palestine charging that with their action, these states are actually supporting the 50-year-old Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.

The ministry said in a statement that it was surprised and shocked by the decision of some UNHRC member states who decided to boycott a session discussing Article 7 in the Human Rights Council that has to do with the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and the situation of Palestinian human rights.

“The boycott of these state of the discussion of this article is equivalent to a new punishment of the Palestinian people added to the injustice and ill-treatment they face every day from the Israeli occupation authorities and an encouragement to Israel as an occupying power to continue with its repressive measures, collective punishment and crimes against our people,” it said.

It said the reason this topic is being discussed now “is the failure of the international community to deal with the deteriorating situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and its failure in deterring Israel from continuing in its violation of the rights of the Palestinian people.”

M.K.