The UN human rights chief on Palestine on Tuesday slammed Israel for failing to uphold its obligations under international law to ensure the Palestinian people's health and welfare and warned of Gaza’s collapsing healthcare system.
"Israel has failed to uphold its obligations under international law to ensure the health and welfare of the Palestinian population under its control," Michael Lynk said in a report delivered to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday.
The healthcare system for Palestinians who have been living in Gaza is "on the edge of collapse," he warned.
The U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital resulted "in a feeling of hopelessness among Palestinians which cannot be overstated," he said.
Noting concerns over increasing delays or denials in exit permits for people seeking needed medical treatment outside of Gaza, Lynk said: "Israel’s byzantine and opaque exit permit system imposed upon patients who require treatment outside of Gaza is but one element which demonstrates that Israel’s obligations as occupying power to the residents of Gaza remain far from fulfilled."
"I once again call upon Israel to comply with international law and bring to a complete end its 50-year occupation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967," Lynk said.
"Today we are faced with the prospect of a diminished two-state vision after the U.S. decision to declare Jerusalem Israel’s so-called capital and move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on May 14," Naci Koru, Turkey's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, told the UN Human Rights Council.
The humanitarian situation in Palestine, especially in the Gaza Strip, has worsened even more following the U.S. decision, he added.
"The international community should not lose sight of the plight of the Palestinians suffering from the devastating effects of the Israeli restrictions on the Gaza Strip," Koru said.
"Turkey has the firm conviction that there is an urgent need to reactivate the peace process in order to avoid greater humanitarian risks," Koru said.
Kate Gilmore, the UN deputy high commissioner for human rights, also presented six reports about the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory and other occupied Arab territories.
“Currently Palestinians are at high risk of being arbitrarily deprived of their liberty,” Gilmore said.
“After more than a decade under blockade, the situation in Gaza has deteriorated to a point that is unbearable for its inhabitants and untenable for the future,” she said.
Decrying cases of continued arbitrary detention of children, Gilmore said: “Half a century of occupation has taken a heavy toll on the human rights of virtually every Palestinian, regardless of where in the occupied territory they reside.”
“The range and depth of human rights violations in this crowded strip of land is truly alarming. The vast majority of the population of two million cannot leave due to restrictions to their freedom of movement,” she said.
Gilmore said Gazans have been living with electricity cuts of up to 18-20 hours a day.
Pointing to the impact of the conflict on the lives of children, she said: “This year alone, six children have been shot and killed in the context of protests. The past year saw hundreds of Palestinian children detained by Israel, some without charge under administrative detention.”
