The international community must rapidly investigate innovative means to ensure Israel’s compliance with international law, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory of the United Nations stated on Monday.
The commission’s first report on the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel was delivered to the Human Rights Council by Navi Pillay, a former UN Human Rights Commissioner.
She stated, “It is also our strong belief that the ongoing occupation of Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem and Gaza, the 15-year Gaza siege, and longstanding prejudice within Israel are all linked and cannot be considered separately.”
In addition, she expressed, “Given Israel’s clear failure to take tangible steps to implement the findings and recommendations of previous commissioners, the international community must urgently explore innovative mechanisms to ensure that the findings and recommendations of previous commissions are implemented.”
The international community has failed to take serious steps to assure Israel’s conformity with international law and influence it to end the occupation, according to the former South African jurist.
A major underlying root cause of the continued violence is Palestine’s “perpetual occupation” and longstanding prejudice in both Israel and Palestine, according to Pillay.
The former UN human rights official warned, “Forced displacement, demolitions, settlement construction and growth, settler violence, and the Gaza siege have all contributed to and will continue to contribute to cycles of violence.”
