Excellency,

I write to draw your attention to the ongoing critical situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and more specifically, to the grave reality faced by Palestinian children as a direct result of the Israeli military occupation.

Over the past half-century of occupation, Palestinian children have continued to bear the brunt of Israel’s increasingly oppressive, violent and illegal policies and practices. With each passing day, their vulnerability continues to deepen as generation after generation only know life under occupation and that of an occupying Power that continues to commit human rights violations and brutal crimes against them, their families and their land, with complete and utter impunity.

One detrimental aspect of the practices and policies of the occupying Power that has left thousands of children traumatically scarred is Israel’s mass arrest campaigns throughout the Occupied State of Palestine.  Palestinians, as an occupied people, are protected persons under Article 4 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. However, Israeli occupying forces continue to systematically suppress and arbitrarily detain Palestinians by the thousands. It should also be noted that these mass arrest campaigns are part and parcel of Israel’s collective punishment measures that are in direct violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, namely Article 33, and Article 50 of the Hague Regulations, which specifically prohibits collective punishment. [Read more…]

Excellency,

The Palestinian people living in the Occupied State of Palestine, including East Jerusalem, have begun yet another year under Israel’s belligerent military occupation and the prospects to end Israel’s illegal occupation and decades-long injustice remain as bleak as ever. This year the holiday season along with the first couple days of the new year were significantly subdued, with spirits dampened by a new wave of violence directed at the Palestinian people by Israeli occupying forces, which was sparked by a decision on 6 December 2017 by the current administration of the United States of America recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

In fact, in the wake of the US Administration’s decision mentioned above, violations by Israel have only intensified, as the occupying Power clearly felt emboldened to carry out its illegal practices and measures with complete impunity.  Over the past few weeks, killings, injuries, imprisonment of Palestinian civilians and attacks against the occupied Gaza Strip have continued unabated.  Just yesterday, a seventeen-year-old child was killed after being shot in the chest by Israeli occupying forces in the village of Tuqu, south of Bethlehem.  This latest death marks the 16^th Palestinian killed by Israeli occupying forces since the US Administration’s decision on 6^th of December and comes only days after, Musab Firas Al-Tamimi, also age 17, from the village of Deir Nitham was killed after being shot in the neck by Israeli occupying forces. [Read more…]

Excellency,

I write to you with urgency appealing for efforts to uphold the longstanding international consensus regarding Jerusalem, as enshrined in numerous Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. Considering recent decisions in violation of international law and those relevant resolutions – and in effective complicity with the grave breaches being perpetrated by Israel, the occupying Power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem – the international community must remain resolute in reaffirming the validity of the relevant resolutions and in demanding their full respect.

In this regard, and in light of the extremely regrettable decision announced by the President of Guatemala regarding the decision to move his country’s embassy to Israel to the City of Jerusalem, we call on all States to address this matter without delay, to reject this provocative, unlawful decision, and to act swiftly to uphold the integrity and authority of United Nations resolutions. [Read more…]