Michelle Bachelet, High Commissioner for Human Rights, presenting her report (A/HRC/46/22), noted serious violations during the reporting period: 67 Palestinians, including 16 children, killed by Israeli security forces, and 3,678 injured. One Israeli soldier was killed by Palestinians during this period and 90 other Israelis were injured. Violations of international law included an attack by Israeli Security Forces which killed nine Palestinians, including five children, in Deir El Balah. Ms. Bachelet said Palestinian armed groups in Gaza continued to indiscriminately launch rockets and incendiary balloons towards Israel.
Israel, speaking as a concerned country, said that the report offered nowhere near a balanced view. Israel was entitled to accountability and justice for all violations of international law.
State of Palestine, speaking as a concerned country, said the report explored violations committed by the occupation forces from November 2019 to November 2020 in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The Gaza Strip continued to be subject to collective punishment through the blockade. The absence of justice for Palestinians signified the absence of justice everywhere, and the culture of impunity concerning Israel must end.
In concluding remarks, Nada Al-Nashif, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, urged Israel to desist from demolishing homes, destroying private property and other acts. As for the comment on the lack of reference to rockets that Palestinians launched against Israel, there were in fact several paragraphs in the report addressing this.
In the discussion, some speakers condemned ongoing excessive use of force by the Israeli forces, and the lack of cooperation by Israel with the Office of the High Commissioner, calling the human rights situation in the occupied territories calamitous and horrific.
MICHELLE BACHELET, High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the report provided an update on matters related to accountability for alleged violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in the occupied Palestinian territory. Serious violations continued during the reporting period, with 67 Palestinians, including 16 children, killed by Israeli security forces, and 3,678 injured. One Israeli soldier was killed by Palestinians during this period and 90 other Israelis were injured.
In the ensuing discussion, some speakers condemned the ongoing excessive use of force by Israeli forces, and the lack of cooperation by Israel with the Office of the High Commissioner, calling the human rights situation in the occupied territories calamitous and horrific. Speakers said the human rights of civilians on both sides must be respected, and some expressed strong opposition to Israel’s settlement policy. Israel must comply with its obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law on occupied Palestinian territory. The Council was asked to take a clear and firm stand on the human rights violations against the Palestinian people that could be described as war crimes under the Rome Statute. Several speakers expressed grave concern over the killing of 67 Palestinians, including 16 children, by the Israeli forces during the reporting period.
Some speakers noted that the Israeli occupying forces and the Palestinian people were being treated on an equal footing in some sections of the report. Given the inequality and asymmetric relations between them, and the vast human rights violations that the Palestinians experienced at the hands of the Israeli forces, this must not be repeated, as it legitimized these violations. Some speakers said that in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was ever more important to lift the blockade of the Gaza Strip that obstructed humanitarian aid.