NEW YORK (Palestine Foundation Information Center) Assistant UN secretary-general Khaled Khiari has called on the international community to firmly reject any Israeli attempt to establish settlements in the Gaza Strip or seize any parts of its territory.
“Any attempt to establish settlements in Gaza must be firmly rejected. There must be no attempt to reduce or annex the territory of Gaza in whole or in part,” Khiari said in a briefing to the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East on Wednesday.
Khiari also called on the international community to provide immediate support for the Palestinian government to address its fiscal challenges, strengthen its governance capacity and prepare it to reassume its responsibilities in Gaza.
“We must establish political and security frameworks that can address the humanitarian catastrophe, start early recovery, rebuild Gaza, and lay the groundwork for a political process to end the occupation and establish a viable two-state solution as soon as possible. It is vital that these frameworks facilitate a legitimate Palestinian government that can re-unify Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including east Jerusalem, politically, economically and administratively while reversing the steadily deteriorating dynamics throughout the occupied Palestinian territory,” Khiari added.
The UN official condemned “Israel’s use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated areas that has caused massive casualties and damage to residential buildings, schools, hospitals, mosques and UN premises,” stressing that UN premises are “inviolable at all times.”
He also condemned Israel’s continued collective punishment of the Palestinian people as “unjustifiable.”
“The relentless bombardment of Gaza by Israeli forces, the large number of civilian casualties, the blanket destruction of Palestinian neighborhoods, and the worsening humanitarian situation are horrific. The widespread devastation and deprivation resulting from Israel’s military operations in north Gaza – especially around Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun – are making the conditions of life untenable for the Palestinian population there,” he said.
“I reiterate my unequivocal condemnation of the widespread killing and injury of civilians in Gaza, including women and children, and the deprivation of essentials to survive. I am concerned over what may amount to violations of international humanitarian law in the conduct of hostilities, including noncompliance with the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions in attacks and against the effects of attacks. International humanitarian law always applies to all parties to a conflict, and its application does not depend on reciprocity. The protection of civilians is paramount. There must be full accountability for any atrocity crimes that have been committed.”
He also reiterated that “all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including east Jerusalem, have no legal validity and are in flagrant violation of international law and United Nations resolutions.”
