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| EU Abstention of Human Rights in the Occupied Territories | Date: 19-04-2001 |
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EU ABSTENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES The EMHRN calls for an immediate international protection and for the EU to take a stronger role Yesterday, the UN Human Rights Commission adopted a resolution on the question of human rights violations in the Occupied Territories*, which expressed grave concern at the gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, including closures, expropriation of Palestinian homes, torture, and Israeli settlement activities and strongly condemned the disproportionate and indiscriminate recourse to force. All EU states abstained from voting in favour of the resolution, thus disregarding the Palestinian population’s urgent need for international protection including a halt to collective punishment that so far has caused one million Palestinians to live under the poverty line. Furthermore, the EU hereby disregards the repeated calls by Palestinian, Israeli, regional and international human rights organisations for the EU to take a stronger role and to establish an adequate and effective international presence to monitor and regularly report on compliance by all parties with human rights and humanitarian law standards**. The EU states’ lack of support for the resolution is undermining the ongoing work for the development of the human rights dimension of the Barcelona Process, as it is contrary to the Barcelona Declaration’s commitment to act in accordance with international human rights principles and obligations under international law and to "support the realisation of a just, comprehensive and lasting peace settlement in the Middle East based on the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions". The EMHRN urges the EU to apply article 2 in the Association Agreement between the EU and Israel and in the Interim Agreement between the EU and the PLO, which calls for the respect for human rights, and take immediate, effective and comprehensive measures to ensure the protection and peace for the Palestinian and Israeli people. For further information, please contact: Marit Floe Jorgensen, information officer, EMHRN Tel:+45 32 69 89 12 fax: +45 32 69 89 01 E-mail: mfj@euromedrights.net |
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