to of by Statement the Chairman the SpecialGommittee lnvestigate People HumanRightsof the Palestinian Affectingthe lsraeliPractices presenting thirty-ninth its Territories and OtherArabs of the Occupied annualreport New York 12 November2007 Ladies and Gentlemen, Delegates, Distinguished Excellencies, Chairperson, you of to I havethe honour address as Chairman the Special of the Affecting HumanRights the lsraeliPractices to Committee Investigate and Territories to present Arabsof theOccupied and Other People Palestinian territories report.The occupied thirty-ninth Committee's to youthe Special Palestinian are mandate the occupied Committee's by covered the Special as the the namely, GazaStrip, WestBankand EastJerusalem, territories, has of theseterritories Golan.The occupation Syrian wellas the occupied for nowcontinued fourdecades. Committee the yearsnow,lsrael hasdenied Special Forthirty-nine with mandate.In keeping by covered its territories to access the occupied itselfwiththe to undertook acquaint Committee pastpractice, Special the to it territoriesis mandated consider in rights the occupied of human situation as materials written whichincluded of variety sources use by making of a wide civil Nations actors, United in with wellas contacts Governments the region, individuals. and academics private organizations, non-governmental society, in of into insight the situation humanrights In orderto gainthe bestpossible to travelled Egypt,Jordanand Syria the Committee territories, the occupied interlocutors 2007whereit metwithnumerous from21Julyto 4 August in the about situation the information with 37 including witnesses first-hand Golan.We arevery Syrian and territories the occupied Palestinian occupied the Jordanand Syriafor facilitating of Egypt, grateful the Governments to in mandate a sufficiently to Committee carryout its workof the Special manner. effective the otherthings, crucial among covers, report Committee's The Special of life,the rightto freedom movement, the of issues self-determination; rightto and to the violence; rights health and wall; theseparation settlements settler of and of and the education; rightto liberty security person the situation Golan. Syrian occupied in rights the human people to the Afterfortyyearsof occupation, rightof the Palestinian of thaneveras a result the violations moreelusive appears self-determination and of of Power, a wholerange humanrights the by lsrael, occupying of The territories. situation law, humanitarian in the occupied iniernational either. hasalsonot improved Golan Syrian in rights the occupied human are at striking thistimewhenpreparations beingmadefor a Particulaily

political is discrepancy between dialogue the endof thismonth, the glaring at ground. human rights situation the on rhetoric the deteriorating and territorial envisaged unit Palestinian territories,single a The occupied owing the to are thaneverbefore, the OsloAccords, nowmoredivided under points of through closure all crossing the imposed the GazaStrip on blockade waters and control overitsterritorial continued sinceJune2007andlsrael's period, reporting in During current the aggravating occupation. the airspace to addition beingcut off fromthe restof the world,Gazahas beensubjected community and by somein the international sanctions lsrael by to economic On humanitarian assistance. 7tnNovember, and is surviving emergency on of UNRWA stated that80 percentof the the Commissioner-General population Gazawas nowliving WorldFoodProgramme UNRWA or on in percentdecrease goodsentering Gaza in the rations.Therehas beena71 in and including food,drugsandothermedicines therearezercstocks Strip, 91 different drugs. "hostile whenit was declared further The situation Gazadeteriorated in "enemy September. Since Cabinet 19th on entity" the lsraeli by territory" or withbanks Gaza in dealing bankshavestopped of thena number lsraeli fromabroadmoreand moredifficult of whichmakesthe sending remittances in of At and is starting causecashshortages. theend of October, violation to fuel reducing andelectricity of started international the Government lsrael law, the among otherthings, to supplies the GazaStripwhichis likely endanger, to Thishitsthe civilian and and functioning hospitals sewage waterservices. of population obligations the as of Thisis in contravention lsrael's hardest. to law humanitarian and amounts Powerunderinternational occupying p inhabitants. 1.5 of c ol l e cti veu n i sh me n t a l most million period, rapidly deteriorating the reporting During current the military by crisisin Gazahasbeencompounded regular humanitarian and in injuries the whichhaveresulted deaths, incursions landforces by and by shelling airstrikes. including repeated destruction property, of civilians oftenhurt are in of Targeted assassinationsmilitants whichinnocent the armykilled On October, lsraeli unabated. 2oth havecontinued or killed patients fromGazahaveincreasingly ill Seriously Palestinian two flshermen. has froman in andtheirnumber fallen access hospitals lsrael to beendenied Currently some average 40 in Julyto lessthanflvea dayin September. of are from Gazain needof treatment unableto traveldue to lsraeli 350 patients from Gazadiedafterhis cancerpatient In a restrictions. October, 21-year-old the Court for lsrael was delayed 10 days. On 29 October Supreme entryinto justify stranglehold the Gaza its on to Government ordered lsraeli the of lsrael Strip. to rights theWestBankhasalsocontinued in of The situation human period WestBank of underreview.The inhabitants the during the deteriorate of of to are subjected severerestrictions theirrightto freedom movement checkpoints, morethanfivehundred through whichare implemented of as system obstacles wellas a strict and typesof physical roadblocks other permits. human rights havebeen and of The freedom movement other

of negative manner the construction the by in affected a particularly territory. The wall, separation 80 percentof whichis beingbuiltin occupied land Palestinian agricultural andother in wall separation is taking the best wall in the With recent extensions the south, separation willnow resources. Opinion some13 percentof theWestBank.The2004Advisory encompass of on Courtof Justice the legalconsequences the building of the International has to Palestinian territory goneunheeded wall of the separation in occupied date. by in Thereare 149settlements theWest Bankinhabited some a Now"published NGO"Peace the lsraeli settlers. 7 November On 480,000 the indicating during Committee's that construction on report settlement human lsraeli period has activity accelerated. settlement reporting current against in attacks increase violent a have rights organizations reported sharp 2007. This Forces Security sinceMarch and lsraeli by Palestinians settlers persons, and of destruction property physical against attacks involves from Palestinians olivetreesand preventing land, agricultural including of to their harvesting crops. In addition the conflscation Palestinian-owned land landfor settlements, in theWestBankis alsotakenby the elaborate new armyannounced the September lsraeli roads.On24tn network bypass of wouldfurther thecity cut which for landconfiscation a roadeastof Jerusalem being offfromthe restof the WestBank.TheWestBankis increasingly of parts the whichaffects viability a Palestinian into fragmented eversmaller state. and to The citiesand townsof theWest Bankare subjected regular are andvehicles of in incursions whichlargenumbers troops military repeated during haveincreased operations andsearch arrest The constant deployed. Therearenow continue. assassinations underreview.Targeted the period 400 are prisoners of in detained lsrael whomalmost Palestinian some11,000 prisoner killed a during riotin an lsraeli was a Palestinian In children. October prison. Golanhasnot Syrian in rights the occupied of The situation human to underreview.According reports of the period in improved the course in lsraeli settlers the Syrian of the Committee, number received the Special by practices and have and hasincreased settlements expanded arbitrary Golan of people, Syrian citizens the Golanare reportedly landand livestock. affect of to and waterresources havebeenexposed the danger to access denied of faceproblems Golan in workers the occupied Syrian landmines. Thereare employed. and and unemployment job insecurity manyareunder prisons. Golanin lsraeli Syrian fromtheoccupied some15 citizens currently of shortage health that was alsoinformed thereis a chronic The Committee in Arabvillages the Golan in and centres clinics theflveoccupied Nations, needs the through United acting community, The international of situation the to measures remedy current and urgent to takedetermined just A peaceful, and lasting Arabterritories. in rights the occupied human of and wouldleadto the endof theoccupation the enjoyment human solution An Arabterritories. end of the of by rights allthe inhabitants the occupied

people exercise wouldalsoenable Palestinian occupation the to theirrightto in a Palestinian self-determination viable state. Thankyoufor yourattention.