News / Palestine

UN raps Israel for using excessive force against Palestinians

Friday, 12 February 2016 6:54 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 12 February 2016 6:56 AM ]

Israeli policemen wrestle a Palestinian man to the ground after an alleged stabbing attack in occupied al-Quds (Jerusalem) on Oct. 9, 2015. ©AFP

A UN human rights expert has slammed Israel for using excessive force against Palestinian protesters amid ongoing tensions between the two sides in the occupied territories.

Makarim Wibisono, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, warned on Thursday that the upsurge in violence was a “grim reminder” of the unsustainable human rights situation in the Palestinian territories.

The UN official also called on Tel Aviv to charge or release all Palestinian prisoners being held under the so-called administrative detention, which allows the regime to keep them behind bars without charge or trial for months or even years.

“Hundreds of Palestinians being held, now including children, often under secret evidence, and for up to six-month terms that can be renewed indefinitely, is not consistent with international human rights standards,” Wibisono said.

Protesters call for the release of Mohammed al-Qiq, a Palestinian prisoner on hunger strike, outside a hospital in Afula on February 9, 2016. ©AFP

Citing figures from the Israeli rights group B’Tselem, Wibisono further said nearly 5,680 Palestinians, including minors, were detained by Israel as of the end of October 2015.

Wibisono, who has been in charge of monitoring rights violations in the occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem), the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, quit the job last month, citing Israel’s refusal to grant him access to the occupied territories.

The UN monitor on Palestine assumed the post in June 2014 and his resignation will take effect on March 31.

Wibisono further slammed Israel for its “illegal” settlement activities in the occupied West Bank, the construction of the separation wall and the blockade of Gaza, saying the measures amounted to a “stranglehold” and “collective punishment.”

He said the Tel Aviv regime must address these issues to uphold international law and ensure protection for Palestinians.

More than half a million Israelis live in over 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds Jerusalem (Jerusalem). The United Nations and most countries regard the Israeli settlements as unlawful.

Tensions have been running high in the West Bank after Israel’s imposition in August 2015 of restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The mosque in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) is the third holiest site in Islam.

More than 170 Palestinians, including children and women, have been killed by Israeli forces since the outbreak of tensions in the occupied Palestinian territories last October.

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