World silence on Mideast conflict decried
Abu Dhabi |By A Staff Reporter | 10-12-2002
Hans Kochler |
If the international community continues to
remain silent over the escalating violence in Palestine, it will soon
become difficult to contain the conflict in the region, said the head
of an NGO.
"The continuation of the tragic escalation in the
occupied territories of Palestine... would not only destabilise the
region, but also endanger the peace and security of the whole world,"
said Hans Kochler, President of International Progress Organisation
and representative of the NGO connected to the Palestinian issue.
Kochler, who was speaking at the Zayed Centre for Coordination and
Follow-up, said that if the conflict between the two parties persists
and the international community remains silent rather than enforce the
basic dictates of international law, the events in Palestine might
lead to a greater conflict, which would be difficult to contain in the
region, and perhaps threaten international peace and security.
Kochler pointed out that Israel's selective assassinations and
killings are a form of state-terrorism and according to the Geneva
Convention and the laws of the International Criminal Court, such acts
were considered war crimes.
These grave human rights violations
must be investigated by an independent international committee under
the auspices of the United Nations, he said.
Kochler called for
the dismantling of all Jewish colonies and complete withdrawal of
Israeli forces from all Palestinian lands including Occupied Jerusalem
for the sake of achieving a lasting settlement of the conflict.
Kochler added that according to article 39 of UN Charter, the
situation in Occupied Palestine posed a serious threat to
international peace and security.
As a consequence, a UN force
was urgently required to provide protection to the innocent
Palestinians there.
He criticised the UN for failing to
undertake an independent investigation for grave violations of
international law by the occupying forces in Jenin refugee camp and
other areas.
He regretted that the world body had proven
incompetent and irrelevant when it came to the enforcement of
international humanitarian law in Palestine.
According to
Kochler, the latest assassination of a UN Relief and Works Agency
official not only demanded urgent and independent investigation into
Israeli atrocities, but also called for collective and decisive action
against Tel Aviv's continuous flagrant violations of international
human law.
He added that the Security Council could be accused
of following a policy of double standards as there is a lack of
consensus on taking effective measures under chapter seven to deter
such practices by Israel.
He appealed to the international
community not to keep silent in the face of Israel's plans to deprive
the Palestinian nation of their right to self-determination and to
re-draw the map of the Middle East.
Kochler said that the
outcome of the situation in the Middle East depends on the courage of
the UN Secretary General and the members of the UN General Assembly.
"The credibility of the world body is at stake and
this is its challenge after the end of the Cold War," he said.
·
World silence on Mideast conflict decried
·
Palestine opponents win big
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