UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Monday that ending the nearly year-long war in the Gaza Strip is a priority, and he asked countries to act on what he called Israel’s “blatant disregard” for international law in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Gaza health authorities said nearly 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the enclave since the start of the Israeli military campaign in October.
Israel launched the campaign in response to an attack led by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on southern Israel on the seventh of the same month, which resulted in the killing of 1,200 people and the detention of more than 250 others, according to Israeli statistics.
“Ending this war and avoiding a full-scale regional conflict is a top and urgent priority,” Turk added in a speech at the opening of the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
“States must not and cannot accept blatant disregard for international law, including binding Security Council resolutions and International Court of Justice orders, in this situation or any other,” he added.
In his speech, Turk referred to an opinion issued by the United Nations’ International Court of Justice in July in which it described Israel’s occupation as illegal and said the situation must be “resolved comprehensively.” Israel rejected the court’s opinion, calling it biased.
Turk made the comments in a speech marking the midpoint of his four-year term as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in which he spoke of the enormous challenges facing the world and a crisis of political leadership.
The session will also discuss the crises in Sudan, Afghanistan and Ukraine.
“It seems to me that we are at a crossroads,” he said in a speech that was well-received by diplomats. “Either we continue on our current path – the dangerous ‘new normal’ – or we walk helplessly into a dystopian future.”
Turk denounced the increasing use of the death penalty and the “alarming decline” in gender equality, referring to new laws in Afghanistan.
He said politicians in Western countries such as Britain, Germany and the United States risk fuelling violence by scapegoating immigrants and minorities during election periods.
Turk, an Austrian who previously worked as a lawyer, defended his tenure in office after criticism that his approach to dealing with China over alleged abuses was too lenient.
“I believe in communication, speaking frankly and keeping the opportunity for dialogue open, especially when dealing with sharp differences,” he said.
Source: Reuters
