International delegation heading from Cairo to Jordan

A United Nations delegation to investigate Israeli human rights practices in the occupied Arab lands left Cairo today for a stop in Jordan, after which it will head to Syria.

The UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories, which comprises three high-ranking UN officials headed by ambassador John de Saram from Sri Lanka, arrived to Cairo on last Wednesday and met with Egyptian officials including the Egyptian assistant foreign minister for human rights, Naela Ber and Ambassador Ahmed Gomea.

They discussed the Israeli refusal to cooperate with regional and international organizations to investigate the Israeli practices, as well as Israeli breaches of Palestinian rights in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and Syrian liberties in the Golan Heights.

The committee, which reports to the UN General Assembly, is not allowed access by Israel into the occupied territories, so it depends on media reports and first-hand accounts. While in Jordan, the committee is to meet with Palestinians from the West Bank at the King Hussein Bridge.