PERMANENT OBSERVER MISSION OF PALESTINE TO THE UNITED NATIONS
115 EAST 65TH ST. NEW YORK I OO21 NY TEL 2888500 212 FLY,212 2377 517

Mr. Chairman, As we approach 5-yearanniversary a "World Fit for Children",we the of recall the appeal to the international communityto: put childrenfirst, eradicate poverty,educate every child, andprotect children from the scourgesof war and _conflict. In specihc in itris regard,we expressour deep distress that the rights of childrenaroundthe world .oniinu, to be egregiously violated,p"rti;;;l; in situationsof armed conflict, including foreign occupation, and that u, ,uri children continueto sufferat all levelsand,toenduregrave hardships. so absolutely As stated btt..Graca Machel,in "Impact of armedconflict on children", "wer-violateseveryrighi of a child the right to ltfe, the right to be withfamily and community,the right to health, ilrt iigltito dev,elopmrnt and the right to be nurtured andprotected". As notedin the timely 10-year strategic review of the Machelstudy,a significantgap remains between the international legai standardsrelevant for the protection of children and the implementation theselaws for the actual.safeguarding promotion of and of children,srights. It is precisely this lack of implementation that is perpetuati-ng impunity of uiotuto^ of children,s the rights and thusperpetuating sufferingof chiidren,incluiing, the intir alii, ftomcrimesfalling within the six main categories crimesagainst of childrenin situations armedconflict identifiedby the of specialRepresentative children and Armed conflict. The cycle for oflu"t oi"ompliance,lack of accountability continued and transgressionsa viciousone. clearly, if internationai is tu*, in"iuoi'g humanitarian and humanrightJ law, were upheldand respected, law childrenaroundthe world would not be the victims of suchcrimes,but would instead enjoying be the peace, f.eedom,stabilityand prosperity necessary promoting for theirhealthy andhappywell-being development. and Yet' most regrettably serious human rights violations and war crimes continue to be commifted againstchildren. This must be an iisue of priority concern for all membersof the internationalcommunity, for the damagecausedto children today- some of it irreparable has detrimentalshortand long-termconsequences children,*o-en, for familiesand societies whole, as inevitably.impacting future prospects peuc. and deveiopment.Ending impunify io, for violations againstchildren is paramount, and *e ugt.i with the recommendations maJein'the strategic review, including-regarding the application of targeted measures, including sanctions,against those persistently committing graveviolationsagainstchildrenin armedconflict. Indeed,all effortsmust be exertedto addressthis critical matter to ensurethe protection of children,promotion of their rights, provision of neededassistance them, redressof the to injusticesdone to them and their rehabilitationto allow them to becomeproductivemembers of their societies, contributingto the advancement development their nations. and of

Mr. Chairman, The Conventionon the Rights of the Child is the primary instrumentfor the protectionand promotion of children'srights everywhere and at all times. Other instruments humanrights law, of including, inter alia, the Universal Declarationof Human Rights, the InternationalCovenanton Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,the International Covenanton Civil and Political Rights are also central to the promotion of the rights and well-being of children and their families, and, in situations of armed conflict, including foreign occupation,internationalhumanitarianlaw, particularly Geneva the Convention relative the Protection Civiliansin Time of War, provides to of additionalprotectionfor children. Respectfor the rules of intemationallaw enshrined these ln instruments must be compulsoryfor all States and cannotcontinueto be treatedby someas optional provisionsto be flagrantly and gravely violated. If we are to put children first, then we must be seriousaboutupholdingand ensuring respect the relevant for provisions international in all of law circumstances in all cases. and The aboveinstruments applicable the entireOccupiedPalestinian are to Territory, including East Jerusalem. The U.N. GeneralAssembly has reaffirmedtheir applicability,the International Court of Justicealso explicitly affirmed their applicability,and the SecurityCouncil has repeatedly reaffirmedthe 4thGenevaConvention's applicabilityto thl OccupiedPalestinian Territory,including EastJerusalem. Thus,whendiscussing Palestinian children living underoccupation, these provisioni of internationallaw constitutethe fundamentalframe of referenceand context for any accurate examination the situationof their rights. The conclusion any suchexamination, of of from any angle, is that the rights of Palestinian children,as stipulated the relevantinstruments international in of liw, arebeingsystematically gravelybreached a daily basis Israel, occupying power. and on by the Mr. Chairman, Tragically, as noted in the strategicreview, "meny conflicts last longer than the duration of childhood". In the caseof the Palestinian people, threegenerations Palestinian of children havelived and grown up as a stateless dispossessed and people,with millions of them living underdifficult socio-economic conditions, besetby povertyand insecurity, refugeecampsfornearly 60 years in now' And, alreadytwo generations Palestinian of childrenin the OccupiedPalestinian Territory have lived and grown up knowing only a harsh, abnormal existencemarked by the constant oppression, discrimination, humiliationand crimesof the 4}-yearold Israelimilitary occupation of their people. Childrencontinueto be the targetsof the excessive, indiscriminate and lethal force routinely unleashed the Israelioccupyingforcesagainst Palestinian by the civilian population. The killing, woundingand maimingof children- one of the six main categories crimis * in Israelimilitaff of assaults and incursions broughtgrief and devastation thousands families and hasterrorizei has to of andtraumatized Palestinian children. SinceSeptember 2000,nearly 1,000Palestinian childrenhavebeenkilled by the occupying -unl forces,includingas a resultof attacks schools on and hospitals another the main crimer, of over 3,500havebeeninjured,hundreds them permanently of disabled and disfigured. At least3l Palestinianinfantswere deniedtheir right to life at one of Israel's hundredsoicheckpoints, born dead because their motherswere denied access proper medical care. The lives of palestinian to childrenalsocontinueto be endangered their useas humanshieldsby the Israeli occupyingforces by duringraidson civilianareas.

Palestinian childrenare also amongthe more than 11,000civilians being illegally held in jails or detentioncenters,many imprisonedin utterly inhumaneconditionsand subject Israeli to physicaland mentalill-treatment.As highlightedby the Special Representative during her fieid visit to the OccupiedPalestinian Territory in April 2007,at least400 Palestinian childrencontinueto be held in Israefiprisons, "oftenfor minor offenses, deniedfamilyvisitsand dueprocess,and sometimes " tried by military tribunals, in violation ofjuvenile justice standards . Palestinianchildren also continue to suffer greatly from displacement resulting from the occupyingforces' wantondestruction homes,shelters infrastructure of and during assaults civilian on areasas well as from the hundreds homedemolitionordershandeddown by the occupyingpower of againstPalestinianfamilies in the OccupiedPalestinian Territory, particularly in and-aroirndthe OccupiedEastJerusalem area. In addition,thousands Palestinian of familieshavebeendisplaced by Israel's ongoing unlawful constructionof the wall in the Occupied PalestinianTerritory and its impositionof the associated permit regime. As stressed the strategic in review, "forceddisplacement uproots children and youths at a time when their lives most need stability", andthe far-ranging, negativeandtraumaticconsequences requireserious attentionandredress. Mr. Chairman. that the denial of humanitarian access children - also for - The strategicreview emphasizes one of the six main crimes- "whetherdeliberateor the result of a deterioratingsecuritysituation, depriveschildren of assistance and violatestheir basic rights, initudtng the right-to life ,,. Inthe case of Palestinian children, denialby Israelof humanitarian the access part of its measures collective of punishmentagainstthe Palestinian people,particularlyin the besiege Gaza Strip, has had a d disastrous impacton theirhumanrightssituation on theirhealthandwell-being. and Throughits imposition prolonged of closures crossings andout of the GazaStripand on into impositionof severe restrictions the movement persons on of and goodsvia the checkpoints, wall the and the permit regime in the West Bank, the occupying Power has deliberately olstructed humanitarianaccessand delivery of vital humanitarianrupplier, gravely underminingchildren,s rights, includingthe rights to food, education and health"u...- In aOOition, closures andiestrictions, along with the destruction infrastructure, of havedefinitelycontributed the disintegration basic to of social servicesin the OccupiedPalestinian Territory, further weakeningcoping mechanisms and negatively impacting Palestinian children andtheirfamilies. As a result,Palestinian child healthhas dramatically declinedas foodstuffs, medicines and basicserviceare often in shortsupply. Food insecurity and iack of access propermedicalcarehas to resulted in widespreadmalnutrition, anemia,stuntedgrowth and other diseases among children, especially Gaza. At the sametime, their healthhas beenseriouslyaffectedby the in desiruction oi vital infrastructure, including water, sanitationand electricitynetworks,and the threat for further obstructionand degradation continues loom over Gaza. The occupyingpower also continues to to obstructthe access education, to with children forced to walk for miies ind to wait long hours at militarycheckpoints gates, and manysubject harassment humiliation, theytry to reachtheir to and as -be schools,many of which are overcrowded,have inadequate materials,and cannot reachedby teachers themselves eachday. As the Israeli occupationand its illegal policies continue, Palestinian children and their familiesmust struggledaily to fulfill the basicneedi of health,nutrition,education, waterand shelter

identified in the review. It is thus necessary echothe words of the review that "the provision of to basic servicesfor children should not be treated as s peace dividend - children's physical and psychologicaldevelopmenl cannotbepostponed". Palestinian children'srights andthe fulfillment of their daily needsmust be guaranteed while living underoccupationand cannotbe considered only a privilege for thosewho live in freedomand peace. This is not only a moral imperativebut is also totally consistent with the Convention the Right of the Child and all otherrelevant on provisions of international law. Mr. Chairman. Palestinian children yearnto play, learn and live with their families in a safe,nurturing and positive environment. They yearn also for peaceand freedom so that they too can enjoy their inalienable humanrightsandgrow to constructively contribute the futureof theirnation. to The supportof the international community fulfillmentof theseaspirations crucial. I for is thus wish to concludemy statement expressing by our deep gratitude to all the membersof the international community exertingefforts to supportthe needs,rights and aspirations Palestinian of children, and by expressing our appreciation well to the U.N. agenciesand programsproviding as vital assistance helpingto promotethe rightsand well-being Palestinian and of children,including, among others, LINICEF, LINRWA, LTNFPA, WFP and the advocacy efforts of the Special Representative. We urge your continued attention and support to alleviate the plight of tn" Palestinian childrenand to help them realize their inalienable humanrights. I thankyou Mr. Chairman.