The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR)
testified again before the United Nations Human Rights Council Fact-Finding
Mission on the Gaza Strip, which held meetings in Jordan between 1-3 of July
2009.
On Thursday, 02 July 2009, Mr. Sameeh Mohsen,
coordinator of PCHR's West Bank office, presented a 75-minute testimony on
behalf of PCHR before the Fact-Finding Mission. At the beginning of the
hearing, Justice Richard Goldstone, head of the mission, welcomed PCHR's
testimony and stated that he had met with a number of PCHR's staff members
during the Mission's visit to the Gaza Strip. He expressed his appreciation
for PCHR’s efforts in gathering information, affidavits and documents on the
Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip. He also thanked PCHR for the
documents and information it had provided to the Mission.
Mr. Mohsen began his testimony by welcoming the
establishment of the Mission and conveying apologies from PCHR’s director
who was unable to attend the session as he was unable to travel out of the
Gaza Strip. Mr. Mohsen asserted that the Palestinian people are expecting
the Mission to disclose the reality of what happened in the Gaza Strip in
the period 27 December 2008-18 January 2009. He then highlighted the outcome
of the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, including PCHR's statistics with
regard to deaths and their classification, destruction of civilian
facilities, and the impact of the offensive and the continued closures
imposed on the Gaza Strip on all aspects of civilian Palestinian life.
Members of the Mission asked a number of questions
about the standards PCHR used when not categorizing police officers as
combatants; continued attacks against fishermen, interrogation of patients
who travel through Erez crossing; the environmental impacts of the Israeli
offensive; the kinds of food allowed into the Gaza Strip by Israel; protests
by Palestinians in the West Bank against the Israeli offensive on the Gaza
Strip and the responses of Israeli forces, and the Palestinian National
Authority; and concerns of Palestinians living in the West Bank of a
possible similar offensive against the territory.
It is worth noting that during its visit to Gaza, PCHR
had provided the Mission with detailed testimonies and legal documents.
PCHR’s lawyers briefed members of the Mission on all serious human rights
violations perpetrated by Israeli forces during and after the offensive on
the Gaza Strip during a hearing session held at UNRWA's headquarters in
Gaza. Members of the Mission also visited PCHR's offices and met with
PCHR’s director, Mr. Raji Sourani, and other PCHR staff. Mr. Sourani had
been intending to testify before the Mission in Amman, but he was unable to
travel out of the Gaza Strip despite repeated attempts.
The United Nations Human Rights Council Fact-Finding
Mission on the Gaza Strip is headed by Justice Richard Goldstone,
chief prosecutor for the war crimes tribunals on Rwanda and
the former Yugoslavia. The Mission includes also
Professor Christine Chinkin,
Professor of International Law at the London School of Economics and
Political Science, Ms. Hina Jilani,
Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and former Special Representative
of the Secretary General on Human Rights Defenders; and
Colonel Desmond Travers, a
former officer in the Irish Armed Forces and member of the Board of
Directors of the Institute for International Criminal Investigations.
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