Middle East Monitor / December 9, 2021
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, described, on Tuesday, the human rights situation in occupied Palestinian territory as “disastrous.”
As she was briefing the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, in Geneva, she argued: “This clearly also has damaging impact on prospects for peace and sustainable development for Israel, as well as the surrounding region.”
She added: “No matter how long the road has been, ‘never-ending’ cannot be an acceptable description for any situation in which human rights are violated and abused.”
“Only an end to the occupation can bring about lasting peace and establish the conditions in which the human rights of all can be fully respected.”
Bachelet also said: “The people of Gaza also continue to suffer from a 15-year land, sea and air blockade implemented by Israel, with vital infrastructure crumbling and a decaying sewer system.”
She added: “Severe movement restrictions and obstructions to people’s access to essential goods and services, including specialized healthcare, generate immense suffering.”
