Arab League committed to Geneva conference on Israel's violations of international law
Palestine-Israel-International, Politics, 6/15/1999

Arab League Secretary General Esmat Abdul Meguid has asserted the importance of convening the Geneva Convention for parties concerned in the Fourth Geneva Convention on its set date in order to draw up the mechanisms, to carry out the provisions of the agreement, which provide for protecting civilians in times of war, and to apply this agreement in the occupied Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem.

In a speech read on his behalf by his assistant for Palestinian affairs, Saeed Kamal, at the inauguration of the Geneva Convention conference which started in Cairo on Monday, Abdul Meguid warned against obstructing the convening of the conference on its set date of July 15, in accordance with the decision of the UN General Assembly in this regard.

He indicated pressure placed by the US and Israel on the government of Switzerland not to convene the conference. The AL chief stressed the commitment of the Arab states to convening the Geneva Convention at the due time and enabling the participating states to shoulder their collective responsibility in guaranteeing honoring the implementation of the agreement in the Palestinian areas, including Jerusalem.

Abdul Meguid said that Israel which signed the agreement in 1949 and ratified it in 1951, has frankly announced that it does not abide by the agreement in the territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, while the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross stressed that the agreement is totally applicable to the occupied Palestinian territories.

The AL chief held Israel responsible for the deteriorated economic conditions in the Palestinian territories. He added that the restrictions created by Israel resulted in a loss of US $300 million, in a decrease in the income of the Palestinian citizen and in an increase in unemployment to 46% in the West Bank and to 63% in Gaza.

He added that settlement activities increased in the last three years under outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and led to the increase in the number of settlers in the West Bank and Gaza from 150,000 to 180,000 settlers.

The AL chief urged world countries not to transfer their embassies in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Previous Stories:
  UN gears up for Geneva Convention meeting in July   (6/4/1999)
  UN human rights commission passes resolutions on occupied Arab territories   (4/24/1999)
  UN considers holding a Geneva Convention on Israel practices   (2/6/1999)

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