UN Rights Chief Condemns ’Israel’ over Settlements, Violence

Local Editor

The United Nations' top human rights official condemned on Monday the building of "Israeli" settlements and attacks by settlers on Palestinians.

She further viewed them a major source of much abuse of rights in the West Bank.
Human Rights High Commissioner Navi Pillay also expressed concern at a recent surge in violence in and around the Gaza Strip by both local groups and "Israeli" occupation.

""Israeli" settlement-related activities and settler violence are at the core of many of the violations of human rights in the West Bank, including East al-Quds," she told the UN's 47-nation Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The settlements not only had a significant impact on the right to Palestinian self-determination, but activities around them "also violate the entire spectrum of Palestinians' social, cultural, civil and political rights," she said.

"Despite repeated calls for "Israel" to cease settlement activity, ongoing settlement construction and acts of settler violence continue with devastating consequences for Palestinian civilians," said Pillay, a former judge of the International Criminal Court who has visited the Zionist entity and the West Bank.

Pillay said an "Israeli" blockade of Gaza must be lifted, "with due regard to "Israeli" security concerns." Egypt also blockades Gaza from its side of the border.
"Israel's" Foreign Ministry has been on strike since Sunday. Other officials had no immediate response to Pillay's remarks.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team