GENEVA
The United Nations Human Rights Committee said Friday that illegal Israeli settlement construction in occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, has doubled in the last four and a half years.
Speaking at a press conference at the UN headquarters in Geneva about the human rights report on Israel, a member of UN Human Rights Committee, Cees Flinterman, said Israeli settlements doubled "since the last time that the committee met with Israeli delegations. That was in 2010, four and a half years ago."
Flinterman added, "we did not get a reply (from Israeli authorities) about the issue of doubling of settlements."
With regards to the last Israeli military operation on Gaza, Flinterman said "the committee is calling on Israel to undertake the necessary investigations into serious violations of human rights."
Indicating that the committee was disappointed that Israel has not criminalized torture, Flinterman said "torture and ill-treatments in detention centers in Israel is an important concern and we hope the State party will act within one year."
The report added that "the Committee expresses its concern at allegations of human rights violations committed during the military operations in the Gaza Strip known as 'Operation Pillar of Defense' (14-21 November 2012) and 'Operation Protective Edge' (8 July-26 August 2014)."
There were a "disproportionate number of casualties among civilians, including children; the destruction of homes and other civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities and schools, in particular UNRWA schools used as shelters for civilians" during the last Israeli military operation, the report continued.
It also said that "the Committee is concerned at the acts of violence perpetrated by the State party’s settlers against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and at the lack of effective accountability and protection from such acts by the State party’s authorities, partly due to deficiencies in investigating such cases."
More than 2,160 Palestinians were killed in the 51-day Israeli military operation on Gaza.
www.aa.com.tr/en
