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A30 world news
Diaranson 8 Juni 2022

Report: ‘Perpetual’ Israeli occupation at root of violence

By JAMEY KEATEN Israel has no intention of toward upholding human
Associated Press ending the occupation” and rights and little adherence to
GENEVA (AP) — Inves- has plans to ensure complete international law. Since seiz-
tigators commissioned control of Palestinian areas. ing control of Gaza in 2007,
by the U.N.’s top human Israel’s government, it added, Hamas has shown little toler-
rights body say tensions has been “acting to alter the ance for political dissent and
between Palestinians and demography through the been accused of torturing op-
Israelis are underpinned maintenance of a repressive ponents.
by Israel’s “perpetual oc- environment for Palestinians Israel captured the West Bank
cupation” of Palestinian and a favorable environment and east Jerusalem from Jor-
areas with no apparent in- for Israeli settlers.” dan, and the Gaza Strip from
tention of ending it. They also voiced criticism of Egypt in the 1967 Mideast
Palestinian leaders, saying the war.
The findings came Tuesday Palestinian Authority, which It has annexed east Jerusalem
in the first report by a Com- administers autonomous ar- and claims the area — home
mission of Inquiry, headed eas in parts of the Israeli-oc- to the city’s most important
by a three-person team of The report largely recaps ef- its members access to Israel cupied West Bank, frequently holy sites — as part of its
human rights experts. It forts by U.N. investigators or Palestinian territories, and refers to the occupation as a capital. It considers the West
was set up last year by the over the years to grapple testimonies from Palestinians justification for its own hu- Bank to be “disputed” ter-
U.N.-backed Human Rights with the causes of Mideast and Israelis were collected man rights violations. It also ritory and has built scores
Council following an 11- violence and the authors ac- from Geneva and Jordan. points to the occupation as of Jewish settlements there.
day war between Israel and knowledged it was in part a Israel’s Foreign Ministry re- the core reason for failure Over 700,000 Israeli settlers
Hamas in Gaza. The U.N. “review” of previous U.N. jected the report as “part and to hold legislative and presi- now live in the two areas.
human rights office says the findings. parcel of the witch hunt car- dential elections, the authors The internationally recog-
war killed at least 261 people “What has become a situa- ried out by the Human Rights said. The PA is widely criti- nized Palestinian Author-
– including 67 children – in tion of perpetual occupation Council against Israel.” cized for corruption and in- ity seeks the West Bank, east
Gaza, and 14 people, includ- was cited by Palestinian and It called the report biased and tolerance for dissent. Jerusalem and Gaza for an
ing two children, in Israel. Israeli stakeholders to the one-sided and accused the Despite the criticism, the Pal- independent state. The in-
The commission, headed by commission as the one com- commission members of ig- estinian Authority welcomed ternational community over-
former U.N. human rights mon issue” that amounts to noring Palestinian violence, the report. The Palestinian whelmingly considers all
chief Navi Pillay, is the first to the “underlying root cause” incitement and antisemitism. Foreign Ministry said the three areas to be occupied by
have an “ongoing” mandate of recurrent tensions, insta- “The Commission members, report found “beyond any Israel.
from the U.N. rights body. bility and protracted conflict, who claim to be objective, doubt, that the Israeli occu- Rights groups have accused
Critics allege that permanent the authors wrote. They said were only appointed to their pation of Palestinian land and both Israel and Hamas of
scrutiny testifies to an anti- “impunity” for perpetrators roles because of their public discrimination against Pales- committing war crimes dur-
Israel bias in the 47-mem- of violence was feeding re- and well-known anti-Israel tinians are the root causes be- ing last year’s fighting. Israel
ber-state council and other sentment among Palestinians stances, in direct opposition hind the recurrent tensions, vehemently denies the alle-
U.N. bodies. Proponents say in the West Bank, Gaza and to the rules set out by the instability and prolongation gations, accusing Hamas of
the commission is needed to east Jerusalem. United Nations,” it said. of conflict in the region.” endangering civilians by us-
keep tabs on persistent in- Israel’s government, which The report’s authors cited As for Hamas authorities in ing residential areas for cover
justices faced by Palestinians opposed the creation of the “credible” evidence that Gaza, the commission said during military operations.q
under decades of Israeli rule. commission, refused to grant “convincingly indicates that they show little commitment

U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds to turn to Damascus if Turkey attacks

By BASSEM MROUE Turkey’s border, through
Associated Press a cross-border incursion
BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S.- against U.S.-allied Syrian
backed and Kurdish-led Kurdish fighters — an at-
forces in northern Syria said tempt that failed in 2019.
Tuesday that they will turn to Analysts have said Erdogan is
the government in Damas- taking advantage of the war
cus for support should Tur- in Ukraine to push his own
key go ahead with its threat goals in Syria — even using
to launch a new incursion Turkey’s ability as a NATO
into the war-torn country. member to veto alliance
The Kurdish-led Syrian membership by Finland and
Democratic Forces, or SDF, Sweden as potential leverage.
said after a meeting of its On the ground, the situation
command that its priority is has been tense with near daily
to reduce tension near the exchanges of fire and shelling Syria — including the towns against occupation,” the Syria’s main Kurdish mili-
border with Turkey but also between the U.S.-backed Syr- of Tel Rifaat and Manbij that statement said and added that tia — the People’s Protec-
prepare for a long fight if ian Kurdish fighters on one Erdogan has named as pos- a “possible Turkish invasion tion Units or YPG — which
Ankara carries out its threat. side and Turkish forces and sible targets — with the Syr- will affect the stability and Turkey considers to be a ter-
The announcement appears Turkey-backed Syrian oppo- ian President Bashar Assad’s unity of Syria’s territories.” rorist organization and an
to be a message directed at sition gunmen on the other. forces have been mostly The statement did not elabo- extension of Turkey’s out-
the United States and meant The Turkey-backed Syrian frosty over the past years. rate on what such a coordina- lawed Kurdistan Workers’
to elicit pressure from Wash- opposition fighters have been But faced with Erdogan’s tion entailed — and whether Party, or PKK. The PKK has
ington on Turkey’s President preparing for weeks to take threat, Syrian Kurdish fighters an alliance with Assad’s gov- for decades waged an insur-
Recep Tayyip Erdogan to part in the expected operation may want those ties to thaw. ernment in Damascus would gency within Turkey against
put aside his offensive plans. against Syrian Kurdish-led “The meeting confirmed the translate into joint forces on the government in Ankara.
Erdogan has repeatedly said forces, seeking to expand their readiness of (SDF) forces the ground. Syrian Kurdish The YPG, a backbone of
over the past weeks that he’s area of influence inside Syria. to coordinate with forces officials could not immedi- the SDF, has led the fight
planning a major military On the other hand, relations of the Damascus govern- ately be reached for comment. against the militants of
operation to create a 30-ki- between the Kurdish-led ment to confront any pos- Since 2016, Turkey has the extremist Islamic State
lometer (19 mile) deep buf- fighters who control large sible Turkish incursion and launched three major opera- group and has been a prov-
fer zone inside Syria along parts of northern and eastern to protect Syrian territories tions inside Syria, targeting en top U.S. ally in Syria.q