Statement from the Inter-Parliamentary Task Force to Promote Palestinian Human Rights

By Inter-Parliamentary Task Force
Global Research, May 19, 2022
Inter-Parliamentary Task Force
Region:
Theme:
In-depth Report:

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the “Translate Website” drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version).

To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here.

Visit and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Feel free to repost and share widely Global Research articles.

***

As legislators from North America and Europe, we are calling for a coordinated international response to the deteriorating human rights situation facing the Palestinian people.

We are aware that there is a near consensus among international, Palestinian, and Israeli human rights organizations that Israel’s discriminatory practices against the Palestinians may amount to the crime against humanity of apartheid, as defined by Rome Statue and the Apartheid Convention. This conclusion has most recently been reached by Amnesty International and Michael Lynk, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.

These serious allegations, formed by reputable human rights experts and based on their legal analysis and extensive documentation, cannot continue to be ignored or dismissed by our respective governments. The international community has a responsibility to respect and closely examine the findings of the human rights sector, especially those Palestinian organizations which have been persecuted for their activities, and take action when necessary.

The human rights community has appealed to our governments to adopt a series of economic and diplomatic measures as a response Israel’s discriminatory policies, and there are several recommendations in particular which we want to see championed at an international level:

  1. 1  Governments should encourage and support international bodies to investigate and hold Israeli officials accountable for alleged crimes against humanity, including by referring the matter to the International Criminal Court. Other avenues could include the International Court of Justice and the UNHRC’s Commission of Inquiry. Efforts to weaken or deter these bodies from investigating such serious allegations must be condemned.
  2. 2  As members of the UN General Assembly, governments should support the restoration of the Special Committee against Apartheid, so that it may investigate the crime of apartheid wherever it may be found. We note that this recommendation has been endorsed by the governments of post-apartheid South Africa and Namibia, whose people benefitted from the important work of this committee in a previous era.

Signed,

Frances Black, Senator, Ireland (Independent)

Padraig MacLochlainn, Teachta Dála, Ireland (Sinn Féin)

Patrick Costello, Teachta Dála, Ireland (Green Party/Comhaontas Glas)

Gino Kenny, Teachta Dála, Ireland (People Before Profit)

Tommy Sheppard, Member of Parliament, United Kingdom, (Scottish National Party) Steven De Vuyst. Member of Parliament,

Belgium (Workers Party of Belgium) Veronika Honkasalo, Member of Parliament, Finland (Left Alliance)

Sylvana Simons, Member of Parliament, Netherlands (Bij1 Party)

Heather McPherson, Member of Parliament, Canada (New Democratic Party)

Niki Ashton, Member of Parliament, Canada (New Democratic Party)

Leah Gazan, Member of Parliament, Canada (New Democratic Party)

Alexander Boulerice, Member of Parliament, Canada (New Democratic Party)

Ruba Ghazal, Member of National Assembly, Québec (Québec Solidaire)

*

Note to readers: Please click the share buttons above or below. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Feel free to repost and share widely Global Research articles.

Featured image is from TruePublica

Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. The Centre of Research on Globalization grants permission to cross-post Global Research articles on community internet sites as long the source and copyright are acknowledged together with a hyperlink to the original Global Research article. For publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: [email protected]

www.globalresearch.ca contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the copyright owner.

For media inquiries: [email protected]