Human Rights Council, 33rd session
Geneva, 33 September, 2016

Item 7. Human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories 
General Debate


Joint Statement by the International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations (ISMUN) and American Association of Jurists

Presented by Heni El Heni

Mr. President,


We are meeting at a time when all the prospects for a negotiated path towards the achievement of Palestinian rights have been closed by the current Israeli government.

The facts on the deliberate actions by Israel to prevent a two state solution based on full equality and international law are well documented and known to all at this Council.

Life throughout the occupied Palestinian territories is becoming more unbearable for the Palestinian population as a whole. Israel is responsible of war crimes and violate the whole fabric of international law in its occupation of the territories of the State of Palestine. The collective punishment meted out against the Palestinians in the occupied territories ruin the basic rights of the Palestinians, including the right to life, health, freedom of movement and the right to earn a living.

The Human Rights Council should at its next session adopt new measures which could intensify pressure on Israel and contribute to ending of all collaboration and support to Israeli occupation policies from states and other actors, including corporations.

We are deeply concerned about the boycott of the deliberations under Item 7 on Palestinian rights by a group of countries that was instituted to comfort the occupying power and encourage it to end its boycott of the UPR. We wish to remind the Members of the Council that they had agreed to keep the question of human rights in Palestine on their agenda until the illegal occupation is ended.

We call on all groups and countries to fully participate under Item 7 at the next session of the Council and trust that the President of the Council and the High Commissioner undertake all diplomatic efforts to restore full participation and support for this important item on the Agenda. 

Finally we would like to draw the attention of the Council on the situation of well known Palestinian Human Rights Defender Issa Amro, the Chair of Youth Against Settlements in Hebron who has attended the Council several times and who is now facing a military court trial for trumped up charges relating to his exclusively peaceful activities in defense of international humanitarian law and human rights. Together with all other Palestinian Human rights defenders he needs our support and solidarity.