UN considers holding a Geneva Convention on Israel practices
Palestine-Israel-UN, Politics, 2/6/1999

The United Nations General Assembly yesterday took up the issue of Israeli acts in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the continuation of settlement operations.

The continuation yesterday of the General Assembly's special session on illegal Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the other occupied Palestinian territories at the request of Jordan addressed a proposed conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention which would be held on April 8 under a proposal submitted by the United Arab Emirates on behalf of the Arab group at the UN.

The Palestinian observer at the UN, Nasser al-Kidwa, said that the Geneva Convention meeting, which he hoped would be convened on March 4, had been called for twice before. He noted the continuation of Israel's settlement policy, as well as Israel's continued confiscation of lands, building of "so-called bypass roads, actions against Palestinian Jerusalemites, separating the West Bank from the Gaza Strip and economic suffocation," an UN press release said.

He also noted Israel's freeze in December 1998 on its implementation of the Wye River accord, including a freeze on final status talks, which the Oslo Accords say should be completed by May 4, 1999.

As of May 4, the Palestinian Authority has asserted that it has the right to declare an independent Palestinian state.

Al-Kidwa said, "We cannot allow the development of a legal and political void in our land and perhaps even the descent of the situation to what it was before the peace process."

The Israeli representative at the UN, Dore Gold, stated that the proposed meeting of the Geneva Convention is unacceptable to Israel, saying that the convention is not applicable in this case and that the meeting would create an atmosphere in which the conventions would be applied selectively for political reasons.

Israeli political sources said the government of Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to boycott the meeting of the UN General Assembly held on Friday and dedicated to discuss a draft resolution calling for convening an international conference to protect the Palestinian people from the Israeli practices. The Israeli radio said that a statement was released on Friday by the Israeli foreign ministry saying that the decision of the Israeli Premier Netanyahu came after it has become clear that the said conference will denounce Israel.

Al-Kidwa said that the land where the Palestinians live under their own rule accounts for only two percent of the land that was considered to be Palestine under the British mandate before 1948. He said the meeting of the Geneva Convention had already been approved, so it was not the issue.

In the meantime, the donor states presented a donation worth $770 million to the Palestinian Authority to help in the development of investments during the current year, announced at the conclusion of a meeting that includes 30 countries and eight international organizations hosted by the World Bank in Frankfurt.

Previous Stories:
  EU - Palestinian, Israeli aid   (2/5/1999)
  Israel opposes Palestian plan to convene Geneva Convention   (2/5/1999)
  Tensions escalate between Hamas, Palestinian Authority   (2/4/1999)
  Arafat arrives in US   (2/4/1999)
  Arafat adheres to announcing Palestinian state on May 4   (2/1/1999)
  UN Security Council warns Israel on Jerusalem plan   (7/14/1998)

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