Commissioner on Human Rights Submits Status report on planned mission to Middle East
Palestine-Israel, Politics, 4/16/2002

High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson this afternoon presented to the Commission on Human Rights a status report on her planned visiting mission to the occupied Palestinian territories. She said that since the resolution was adopted, violence had escalated even further and there had been more suicide-bombings and further destruction and loss of life in the territories.

Mrs. Robinson noted that efforts were underway to alleviate the humanitarian situation on the ground and to relaunch a peace process. She stressed that the peace process must be based on human rights and humanitarian law. She also underlined that serious problems of human rights violations still had to be addressed. The tragic killings of Palestinians and Israelis must be brought to an end and she believed that the visiting mission could play a preliminary role in that regard. She repeated the words of Secretary-General Kofi Annan that the United Nations could not be neutral in the face of great moral challenges.

The High Commissioner recalled that the resolution on the visiting mission to investigate the human rights situation in the area had been adopted by the Commission on Friday 5 April, 2002. The rapid deterioration of the situation and the escalation of violence in the occupied territories had been the reason behind the resolution. The mission had not been able to travel immediately to the area as mandated.

The Chairperson of the Commission, Krzysztof Jakubowski, said that there was wide spread support in the Commission for the mission.

A representative of Palestine said that since the Commission had adopted the resolution, many developments had taken place. Even more serious and horrendous crimes had been committed, including the massacre of the Jenin camp which had led to over 500 deaths, as well as injuries and disappearances. Other camps had also been under military siege and had been declared closed military zones -- exactly in the same manner as the Jenin camp before the massacre. It was hoped that the High Commissioner would do her utmost to reach the occupied territories to rescue the Palestinian people, even though Israel was not allowing her visit.

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