Plight of Palestinians Worries UN

Source: Alalam.ir, 24-2-2007
GENEVA--The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has expressed concern about the plight of Arabs in Occupied Palestine and Palestinian territories.
The rapporteur to the committee, Morten Kjaerum, said he was worried that "information suggesting the violence and destruction of Palestinian properties by "Israeli" settlers is rarely the focus of inquiry".
Kjaerum also expressed concern about the "segregation and severe restrictions placed on the freedom of movement of Palestinians".
He said the information indicated that "the Arab community suffered disproportionately from house demolitions."
Kjaerum touched on certain "structural" problems in the Zionist regime, such as the lack of an explicit legal clause prohibiting discrimination.
He said the situation was exacerbated by the absence of a strong reaction by the occupation regime "against remarks of a racist character spoken by certain top figures".
Kjaerum also noted with regret that the report on the "Israeli" occupation regime did not cover the occupied Palestinian territories.
Friday`s meeting took place as John Dugard, special UN rapporteur for human rights in the Palestinian territories, said elements of the Zionist regime`s four-decade occupation of the area is akin to forms of apartheid.