Protests, Human Rights Violations In Palestinian Territories Continue - UN Official

Protests and human rights violations in the Palestinian territories continue, and the situation in the Gaza Strip needs urgent attention, the head of the independent UN Commission of Inquiry on 2018 protests in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Santiago Canton, said Monday.

GENEVA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th September, 2018) Protests and human rights violations in the Palestinian territories continue, and the situation in the Gaza Strip needs urgent attention, the head of the independent UN Commission of Inquiry on 2018 protests in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Santiago Canton, said Monday.

"We note with deep concern that the events that triggered this council to call for a commission of inquiry are not over. Protests are continuing to take place," Canton said at the 39th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

It is a grave and deadly situation that requires urgent attention, the official underlined.

Canton stressed that his commission had been convened to investigate the events in the Palestinian territories that occurred after March 30, especially in the Gaza Strip. The commission intends to personally communicate with all the victims.

"For that reason, we have requested the government of Israel to provide us with access to the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. We are hopeful for a positive response. We also asked neighboring states for access," he added.

The head of the commission noted that it is in the interests of both Palestinians and Israelis to cooperate with the commission and provide their version of events.

Representatives of Israel were not present on Monday at a meeting of the HRC. The representative of Palestine stressed during the discussion that Ramallah was ready for cooperation with the independent UN commission.

On September 20, Santiago Canton was appointed the new head of an independent commission to investigate the clashes in the Palestinian territories in the spring of this year. He replaced David Crane from the United States, who left the post a month after the appointment for "personal reasons."

Protests in the Gaza Strip, the so-called Great March of Return, continued in the enclave since March 30. They regularly develop into bloody clashes with the Israeli military. Since the end of May, Palestinian militants and the Israeli army have already exchanged missile attacks and airstrikes four times, but Egypt and the United Nations, which are developing a draft long-term solution to the Gaza problem, have managed to extinguish the escalation each time.