The UN Human Rights Council held an emergency session today in Geneva to discuss the grave situation and violations in the occupied Palestinian territories. Addressing the meeting, Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Riyad Al-Maliki, reiterated that the Israeli occupation deprived the Palestinian people of their rights and the independence of their state, underlining the violations that Palestinians are exposed to and the airstrikes that have caused human and material losses. Al-Maliki called for an end and dismantling of the colonialism and apartheid regime, the empowerment of the Palestinian people of their inalienable rights and the return of refugees. He also called for isolating the Israeli occupation, boycotting its products and companies cooperating with it, imposing economic and political sanctions on it, and bringing the occupation leaders to account. For her part, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, called on the Israeli occupation government to respect international law and the Palestinians' right to life, in addition to holding the occupation accountable for the violations committed against civilians and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, the UN human rights special rapporteur on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories Michael Lynk, and a group of UN human rights rapporteurs called on the International Criminal Court to investigate the recent Israeli occupation attacks on Palestinian civilians.
