Foreign Ministry welcomes position of UN Commission of Inquiry regarding Israeli occupation

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates today welcomed the position paper issued by the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel, in which it stated that Israel has been violating the Palestinian people's right to self-determination through its prolonged occupation, settlement activities, and annexation of Palestinian territory since 1967. The commission also said that "the legal consequence of violating the Palestinian people's right to self-determination, an obligation towards all, rests with the State of Israel," and affirmed that "the Israeli occupation, which has persisted for 56 years, is illegal under international law," emphasizing that unlawful actions require legal consequences for Israel to put an end to "internationally unlawful acts." It stressed that all nations and the United Nations are obligated to take immediate action to halt these unlawful actions. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it considers the position issued by an impartial UN investigation committee one of many international reports, positions and recommendations that document and affirm the gravity of the Israeli violations and crimes against the Palestinian people, which, it added, are often not heeded by the occupying state but rather treated with disdain and do not pay them any attention. It said it also proves without any doubt the illegality of the Israeli occupation, and that the international failure to implement these positions and reports encourages the occupying state to feel immune and commit more crimes and violations, undermining what remains of the credibility of the international system and its legitimacy based on international law. Source: Palestine news and Information Agency - WAFA