The UN Committee expressed its shock at the indiscriminate Israeli shelling throughout the Gaza Strip (Anatolia)
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination warned on Thursday against hate speech and inhumane speech targeting Palestinians, raising serious concerns about the commitment of Israel and other countries to prevent crimes against humanity and genocide in the Gaza Strip, following the postponement of a vote in the Security Council on a resolution aimed at increasing aid to the Strip.
The U.N. Security Council is waiting for the U.S. position to try again on Thursday to speak with one voice through a vote that has been postponed several times on a draft resolution on Gaza.
The committee said it was "gravely concerned at the resumption of brutal hostilities in the occupied Gaza Strip since early December after a seven-day pause."
She expressed deep shock at the "intensive, brutal and indiscriminate Israeli bombardments" from the air, land and sea throughout the Gaza Strip, and the expansion of the Israeli ground military operation to the south of the Strip, which has killed some 20,<> Palestinians.
The catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip raised serious concerns about the obligation of Israel and other States parties to prevent crimes against humanity and genocide.
The Committee also expressed grave concern about racist hate speech, incitement to violence and acts of genocide, as well as inhumane speech targeting Palestinians since 2023 October <> by senior Israeli government officials, members of parliament, politicians and public figures.
Alarm
The Committee has also sounded the alarm about the deteriorating human rights situation in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem in the past few weeks, including the increased unlawful use of lethal force by the Israeli occupying forces, violence by settlers, and arbitrary arrests and detention of Palestinians.
The Committee urged an immediate and sustainable ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and called on Israel and the State of Palestine to cooperate fully with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and the International Independent Investigation Commission in their investigations.
It also urged all States parties to ensure that all those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as other international crimes in ongoing armed conflicts, are brought to justice expeditiously.
It is noteworthy that the vote on a draft resolution on Gaza in the Security Council was scheduled last Monday, but was postponed several times - the latest on Wednesday - at the request of the Americans, who used the veto power (veto) on the eighth of December / February / December / Veto.
In particular, the text calls on "parties to the conflict" to facilitate the entry and distribution of aid throughout the Strip "by land, sea and air," and asks UN Secretary-General António Guterres to establish a follow-up mechanism to ascertain the "humanitarian" nature of the conflict.
The draft resolution also condemns "all indiscriminate attacks against civilians" and "all terrorist acts" and calls for the release of hostages.
Source : Al Jazeera