Statement by
Mr. Rachmat Budiman
Member of the Indonesian Delegation
before the Special Political and Decolonization Committee
(Fourth Committee)
On
Agenda item 84:
Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices
Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and
Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories
New York, 5 November 2003
Mr. Chairman,
I'd like to thank the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices
Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs
of the Occupied Territories for its 35th report.
As in the past, the Special Committee's work continues to suffer
from the refusal by the Israeli authorities to permit access to
the occupied territories in order to evaluate the human rights situation
for itself. In spite of this, the Committee continues to provide
Member States with both periodic and other reports, receiving information
on the situation from relevant bodies. This is a difficult and tedious
process, but for it, and but for the determination of the members
of the Special Committee, Member States would have no way of being
apprised of the human rights developments in the area.
Mr. Chairman,
It is sad to have confirmation again, from the current report, what
we have known since we considered the Committee's last report: that
the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories
has deteriorated considerably since Israel's military incursions.
According to the testimony of witnesses, 60 per cent of the Palestinian
population is living under the poverty line. The number of the poor
has tripled from 637,000 in September 2000 to nearly 2 million today,
and more than 50 per cent of the Palestinian workforce is unemployed.
The economy continues to suffer as Israel gradually replaces Palestinian
workers with foreign workers in Israel, and crackdown policies such
as curfews, road closures and checkpoints make it difficult for
farmers to cultivate their fields. Those policies also disrupt the
transport of goods and raw materials, disrupt education, and disrupt
the delivery of health services.
Indeed, Mr. Chairman, every aspect of the lives of Palestinians
in the occupied territories has deteriorated severely in the period
under consideration, as it has in the occupied Syrian Golan. In
that area, human rights have faired no better. Among others problems,
over 40 villages have been destroyed, while 44 Jewish settlements
have been established.
Mr. Chairman,
My delegation shares the conclusion of the Committee that the legitimate
security argument used by the Israelis cannot overlook the fact
that many human rights are being ignored in non-combat situations
and in a manner which does not respect the provisions of the Fourth
Geneva Convention. It is significant that most representatives of
the United Nations bodies interviewed by the Special Committee in
Geneva and during its field mission expressed the view that the
Occupied Palestinian Territory and the Gaza Strip are on the verge
of a major humanitarian collapse.
We further share the conclusion of the Special Committee human rights
of the Palestinians are ignored and vi( urgency to redress this
situation, and provide space and process.
Mr. Chairman,
As my delegation said last year, these reports continue to be a
deep source of concern to us. We continue to be appalled at the
continuing disregard of the Palestinian people and other Arabs,
and for Assembly and the Security Council. No Member State should
so flagrantly and openly ignore the will of the international community.
It is to the embarrassment of the multilateral process for Israel
to refuse to acknowledge the applicability of the Fourth Geneva
Convention to the Occupied Palestinian Territory and distinguish
between military objectives and civilian objects and persons.
In this connection, we support the recommendation of the Special
Committee that the General Assembly request the High Contracting
Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to take concrete measures
in respect of their obligations to ensure Israel’s respect
for the Convention. We also support the recommendation for a mechanism
to allow a full investigation into alleged breaches of international
human rights and humanitarian law that would be independent of all
parties.
Finally, the Government of Israel must be compelled to allow the
Special Committee access to the occupied territories in order to
witness for itself the current situation of human rights and obtain
the views of the Government itself on these issues.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
