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A central principle of PCHR's work is that a just,
lasting, and comprehensive peace in the region, as well as
the healthy development of Palestinian society, must be
built on a foundation of respect for human rights and
democratic principles.
The opposite assumption -- that human rights could be
sacrificed in the name of political expediency -- was a
fatal flaw of the Oslo accords signed by Israel and the
Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO). After conducting
a thorough legal assessment of the accords, PCHR
determined that the Israeli occupation would continue to be
a physical and legal reality.
According to these agreements, Israel redeployed its forces
in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, yet Israeli settlements and
military installations maintained their presence in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). The major legal
aspects of the Israeli occupation remained in place: Israeli
military orders controlling the Palestinian people and their
land remained valid under these agreements. The Israeli
military court continued to function throughout the Oslo
period, and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners arrested long
before the current Intifada languish in Israeli prisons to
this day.
Moreover, the Oslo accords failed to address the essential
elements of the Palestinian question -- the right to
self-determination, the right to an independent Palestinian
state with its capital in Jerusalem, the right of return for
Palestinian refugees and the removal of Israeli settlements
from the OPT. In light of this wide-ranging disregard for
the human rights of the Palestinian people, the Centre
resolved to continue its work to protect human rights from
ongoing violations by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF).
The challenges and opportunities presented by the
establishment of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA)
led to the Centre playing a vital and active role in
promoting the development of democratic institutions, an
active civil society, and a just legal system in Palestine.
PCHR has and will continue to monitor the PNA's adherence to
international human rights standards and democratic
practices.
Israel's violent campaign to crush the Al-Aqsa Intifada and
maintain the Occupation since September 2000 has only
strengthened PCHR's resolve to work for the
protection of human rights in Palestine and secure adequate
international protection for the Palestinian people. It can
only be hoped that if and when political negotiations resume
in the future that all sides will learn from the past and
treat human rights as a necessity and not a luxury. |
