GA/PAL/1445

Welcoming Ceasefire in Gaza, Palestinian Rights Committee Bureau Calls for Immediate Implementation of Two-State Solution

The Bureau of the United Nations General Assembly Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People is following with grave concern the latest developments in Gaza.  The Bureau condemns the serious escalation of violence between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants started on 5 August, following Israeli air strikes and artillery attacks on densely populated areas, which has so far reportedly claimed the lives of 46 Palestinians, including 4 women and 15 children, and resulted in hundreds of homes destroyed, thousands rendered homeless and a humanitarian emergency.

The Bureau welcomes the Secretary-General’s call on all sides to observe the ceasefire and commends Egypt for its mediation role in deescalating the situation, while calling on all sides to exercise maximum restraint to protect civilians and prevent further casualties.  The Bureau calls on Israel, the occupying Power, to end practices of collective punishment against Palestinians in Gaza and ensure accountability for persistent rights violations of international human rights and humanitarian law committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including during military operations.

The Bureau further appeals for the immediate lifting of the siege against Gaza, now in its fifteenth year, as well as for the start of negotiations leading to an end to Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territory and the implementation of two-State solution based on relevant United Nations resolutions and international law.

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