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A6 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 8 June 2022
Report: ‘Perpetual’ Israeli occupation at root of violence

By JAMEY KEATEN tlers.”
Associated Press They also voiced criticism of
GENEVA (AP) — Investiga- Palestinian leaders, saying
tors commissioned by the the Palestinian Authority,
U.N.’s top human rights which administers autono-
body say tensions between mous areas in parts of the
Palestinians and Israelis are Israeli-occupied West Bank,
underpinned by Israel’s frequently refers to the oc-
“perpetual occupation” of cupation as a justification
Palestinian areas with no for its own human rights
apparent intention of end- violations. It also points to
ing it. the occupation as the core
The findings came Tuesday reason for failure to hold
in the first report by a Com- legislative and presidential
mission of Inquiry, headed elections, the authors said.
by a three-person team The PA is widely criticized
of human rights experts. for corruption and intoler-
It was set up last year by ance for dissent.
the U.N.-backed Human Despite the criticism, the
Rights Council following an Palestinian Authority wel-
11-day war between Israel comed the report. The
and Hamas in Gaza. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry
U.N. human rights office said the report found “be-
says the war killed at least Israeli police officers detain a Palestinian during a protest supporting Palestinian families who yond any doubt, that the
261 people – including 67 are under threat of eviction from their longtime homes by Jewish settlers in the east Jerusalem Israeli occupation of Pal-
neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, Dec. 17, 2021.
children – in Gaza, and 14 Associated Press estinian land and discrimi-
people, including two chil- nation against Palestinians
dren, in Israel. acknowledged it was in the commission, refused only appointed to their are the root causes behind
The commission, headed part a “review” of previous to grant its members ac- roles because of their pub- the recurrent tensions, in-
by former U.N. human rights U.N. findings. cess to Israel or Palestinian lic and well-known anti-Isra- stability and prolongation
chief Navi Pillay, is the first to “What has become a situ- territories, and testimonies el stances, in direct opposi- of conflict in the region.”
have an “ongoing” man- ation of perpetual occupa- from Palestinians and Israe- tion to the rules set out by As for Hamas authorities
date from the U.N. rights tion was cited by Palestin- lis were collected from Ge- the United Nations,” it said. in Gaza, the commission
body. Critics allege that ian and Israeli stakeholders neva and Jordan. The report’s authors cited said they show little com-
permanent scrutiny testifies to the commission as the Israel’s Foreign Ministry re- “credible” evidence that mitment toward uphold-
to an anti-Israel bias in the one common issue” that jected the report as “part “convincingly indicates ing human rights and little
47-member-state coun- amounts to the “underly- and parcel of the witch that Israel has no intention adherence to international
cil and other U.N. bodies. ing root cause” of recur- hunt carried out by the Hu- of ending the occupa- law. Since seizing control of
Proponents say the com- rent tensions, instability and man Rights Council against tion” and has plans to en- Gaza in 2007, Hamas has
mission is needed to keep protracted conflict, the Israel.” sure complete control of shown little tolerance for
tabs on persistent injustices authors wrote. They said It called the report biased Palestinian areas. Israel’s political dissent and been
faced by Palestinians un- “impunity” for perpetrators and one-sided and ac- government, it added, has accused of torturing oppo-
der decades of Israeli rule. of violence was feeding re- cused the commission been “acting to alter the nents.
The report largely recaps sentment among Palestin- members of ignoring Pales- demography through the Israel captured the West
efforts by U.N. investigators ians in the West Bank, Gaza tinian violence, incitement maintenance of a repres- Bank and east Jerusalem
over the years to grapple and east Jerusalem. and antisemitism. “The sive environment for Pal- from Jordan, and the Gaza
with the causes of Mideast Israel’s government, which Commission members, who estinians and a favorable Strip from Egypt in the 1967
violence and the authors opposed the creation of claim to be objective, were environment for Israeli set- Mideast war.q

U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds to turn to

Damascus if Turkey attacks

cursion into the war-torn said over the past weeks tential leverage.
country. The Kurdish-led that he’s planning a major On the ground, the situa-
Syrian Democratic Forces, military operation to cre- tion has been tense with
or SDF, said after a meet- ate a 30-kilometer (19 mile) near daily exchanges of fire
ing of its command that its deep buffer zone inside and shelling between the
priority is to reduce tension Syria along Turkey’s border, U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish
near the border with Turkey through a cross-border in- fighters on one side and
but also prepare for a long cursion against U.S.-allied Turkish forces and Turkey-
fight if Ankara carries out Syrian Kurdish fighters — an backed Syrian opposition
Turkish tanks and troops are deployed near the Syrian town of its threat. The announce- attempt that failed in 2019. gunmen on the other.
Manbij, Syria, Oct. 15, 2019. ment appears to be a mes- Analysts have said Erdogan The Turkey-backed Syrian
Associated Press sage directed at the United is taking advantage of the opposition fighters have
States and meant to elicit war in Ukraine to push his been preparing for weeks
By BASSEM MROUE Tuesday that they will turn pressure from Washington own goals in Syria — even to take part in the expect-
Associated Press to the government in Da- on Turkey’s President Re- using Turkey’s ability as a ed operation against Syrian
BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S.- mascus for support should cep Tayyip Erdogan to put NATO member to veto al- Kurdish-led forces, seeking
backed and Kurdish-led Turkey go ahead with its aside his offensive plans. liance membership by Fin- to expand their area of in-
forces in northern Syria said threat to launch a new in- Erdogan has repeatedly land and Sweden as po- fluence inside Syria.q