A+ A-

Israel must be held accountable for systematic violations of Palestinians' rights - Kuwait

Kuwait Permanent representative to the UN
Mansour Al-Otaibi
Kuwait Permanent representative to the UN Mansour Al-Otaibi
NEW YORK, Oct 20 (KUNA) -- The Israeli occupation policies required counter political and legal measures to hold it accountable for its systematic violations of the Palestinian people's rights, Kuwait Permanent representative to the UN has said.
Mansour Al-Otaibi, in a statement to UN Security Council's open debate about Palestine last night, called for cessation of Israeli occupation's arbitrary arrests, demolishing and confiscating of Palestinian buildings and properties, forced deportation of civilians, Jewish settlers' crimes against Palestinians, the siege on Gaza Strip in addition to repeated attacks on sacred Islamic and Christian sites.
He said the UNSC session was held amidst critical challenges, foremost coronavirus pandemic which claimed more than 4.7 million people, as well as growing food security crisis and economic recession.
Al-Otaibi said Israel, the occupying force, "is exploiting the international community's occupation in "this critical battle" to continue with its hostile policies against Palestinian people in a clear reminder that it would keep on annexing more Palestinian territories in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The Israeli occupation, he added, sought to continue its illegal policies by building thousands of Jewish housing units and annexation of territories in a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions, namely resolution 2334.
He noted that the Israeli occupation has recently announced resumption of construction of 10,000 housing units in the occupied northern Jerusalem as well as demolishing of Palestinian houses in Selwan.
"What worries us the most is continuation of violent acts committed by the Israeli settlers and Israeli security forces against the unarmed Palestinian people, as the Israeli security forces opened fire at at least 60 Palestinians in the West Bank and killed them," he said.
Al-Otaibi said more than 260 Palestinians, including 66 children and 41 women, were killed in Gaza Strip so far this year.
These actions, he went on, were "new war crimes added to the Israeli record which is full of vicious crimes against the Palestinian people, human rights violations, UN Charter and resolutions, and international law." The Israeli occupation wants to abort any Palestinian hope to establish an independent, viable and sovereignty state, he said.
Al-Otaibi said the region would remain unstable unless the Palestinian people get all their political rights and Israeli occupation ended its violations of international humanitarian law, like ending construction of settlements, confiscation of lands, lifting siege on Gaza and desecration of holy sites.
He underlined importance of relaunching peace negotiations within a specific time frame to reach just and comprehensive peace in line with relevant UN resolutions and Arab peace initiative in order to establish the independent Palestinian state in the June 4 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital and return of refugees.
Al-Otaibi commended the historic role of UNRWA to which Kuwait recently donated USD 21.5 million to provide educational, health and social services for Palestinian refugees. (end) asf.bs