Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
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Geneva, SANA – Syria’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations in Geneva Hussam Eddin Ala stressed that the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the Syrian Golan represents the worst form of settler colonialism in the 21st century and it is a breach of human rights and the international humanitarian law applied in Arab territories occupied since 1967.
The ambassador was speaking at a panel discussion on human rights in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories held within the framework of the 31st session of Human Rights Council at the UN headquarters in Geneva.
Ala said that the International ignorance amounts to complicity in attitudes expressed by some states which instead of calling upon the Human Rights Council to hold the Israeli occupation authorities accountable for their crimes, they demanded other states to refrain from condemning Israeli practices and violations of international humanitarian law and human rights in the occupied territories.
He added that the Israeli occupation authorities’ repeated rejection of giving permission to investigation committees formed since its occupation of Syrian Golan and Palestinian territory in 1967 to perform their mission has relatively little touched upon in statements issued by some countries in contradiction to their frenetic positions when it comes to the targeted states’ cooperation with the Council’s mechanisms included in the fourth provision is questioned.
Ala noted that the systematic Israeli repression, continuous settlement and discrimination policies accompanying the occupation have become a daily suffering source to Arab population under occupation as the occupation authorities violate the right to life, education, health, food, labor, residence and freedom of movement, not to mention the right to sovereignty over natural resources under occupation and the right of Palestinian people to determine their destiny.
The UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices and the UN General Secretary’s reports submitted to the Council have documented these violations despite the restrains and media blackout imposed by the occupation authorities, he said.
Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN added that the Israeli occupation authorities, despite relevant resolutions adopted by the Council, go ahead with establishing and expanding settlements according to integrated policies which restrict movement, prevent building permits and make decisions to demolish houses and facilities under pretexts of illegal licenses in order to provide more territories to build or expand settlements.
He also shed light on the repression environment generated by settlers’ violent practices, authorities’ field executions, arbitrary arrests, and miserable conditions at the occupation authorities’ detention centers, in addition to administrative detention and home detention against citizens.
Ala drew attention to the continuous Israeli attempts to legitimize its occupation of the Syrian Golan in violation to the international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, particularly No. 497 for 1981 as the occupation authorities continue to establish and expand settlements, grant financial incentives to attract settlers, and exploit natural oil, gas and water resources, not to mention imposing heavy taxes, planting mines near populated areas.
He also referred to depriving citizens from their freedom, especially the Dean of Syrian prisoners Sudqi al-Maqt who has already spent 27 years in the Israeli jails and was rearrested under flimsy excuses and pretexts.
Ambassador Ala urged the Human Rights Council to put pressure on Israeli occupation authorities to release Sudqi al-Maqt and all Syrian prisoners in the Israeli jails.
He also called for condemning Israeli settlement activities in the occupied Syrian Golan and the plundering of natural and water resources, and rejecting the occupation authorities’ measures to change the legal and demographic status of Golan as illegitimate and void since they violate the international law, the UN Charter and international legitimacy resolutions, particularly No. 497 for 1981.
Ala demanded to force Israeli occupation to comply with the UN resolutions which provide for the inevitability of ending the Israeli occupation of Arab territories and withdrawal from Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan to the line of June 4th, 1967 according to the UN Security Council relevant resolutions.
R. Raslan / Ghossoun
