Palestinians Demand Punishing Israel After Report on ‘Apartheid’ Crimes
Arab World
Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat
Palestinians on Tuesday welcomed a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report that accused Israel of committing crimes of apartheid against Palestinians. “The report is a powerful testament to the struggle of the people of Palestine under Israel's belligerent military occupation and its colonial and oppressive policies,” Palestinian Presidential Spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said. He added that “this well-documented and solid report reaffirms Israel's commitment to the crimes of Apartheid and persecution that demands the international community to uphold its responsibilities towards Palestine.” On Tuesday, HRW released a 213-page report titled "A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution," which examines Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. Israel was quick to condemn the report. The foreign ministry has described it as "preposterous and false.” In the report, HRW found that Israel is "committing the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution" against Palestinians. The report also finds that the Israeli government is the "single authority" with primary control "over the area between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea.” Within that territory, there is "an overarching Israeli government policy to maintain the domination by Jewish Israelis over Palestinians," HRW said. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said the report “articulately defines Israeli policies and atrocities against the Palestinian people using the proper legal definition for crimes and criminals.” He said the report is a remarkable addition to earlier international reports and judicial verdicts, which asserts the urgent need for the international community to bear its responsibilities, per international law and human rights principles, by holding Israel accountable for its crimes, namely its colonial- occupation and settlements, apartheid, and persecution, as codified in Israeli laws and policies. Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, said Tuesday that denying millions of Palestinians their fundamental rights, without any legitimate security justification and solely because they are Palestinian and not Jewish, is not simply a matter of an abusive occupation. “These policies, which grant Jewish Israelis the same rights and privileges wherever they live and discriminate against Palestinians to varying degrees wherever they live, reflect a policy to privilege one people at the expense of another,” Roth added. Shtayyeh urged states to turn their condemnations against the Israeli occupation into practice. “The traditional situation, where many countries worldwide announce their position against occupation without actual sanctions and without revising their relations and agreements with Israel on the different diplomatic, cultural, and trade relations, can and should not continue,” he concluded.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2943916/palestinians-demand-punishing-israel-after-report-%E2%80%98apartheid%E2%80%99-crimes
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