GazaUnited Nations (UN) International Order Rapporteur George Katrougalos stated that Israel’s attacks on Syria were a continuation of its unlawful actions in the region, emphasizing that Israel carried out attacks on a sovereign state without any provocation.
Katrougalos held a press conference with UN Special Rapporteur for Palestine Francesca Albanese and UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism issues Ben Saul at the UN Office in Geneva on human rights violations in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territory.
UN Special Rapporteur for Palestine, Albanese, said the situation on the ground in Gaza, which is under Israeli attack, is at a catastrophic level.
“The crisis in Gaza has become a global crisis that concerns us all. More than 44,000 people have been killed by Israeli snipers and bombs. 70% of them are women and children. More than 100,000 have been injured since the beginning of the attacks. Thousands of them cannot receive treatment. And as if that were not enough, they will now have to spend a second winter living in makeshift camps without adequate food and clothing,” Albanese said.
Pointing out that the entire population of Gaza has been displaced and many have lost their homes forever, Albanese noted that he did not know whether children would be able to return to school.
“In the last four months alone, nearly 19,000 children have been hospitalized with acute malnutrition. Famine is a reality in Gaza today,” Albanese said.
Albanese emphasized that Israel’s “impunity” had been instrumental in reaching this point in Gaza, and reminded that Israel had never been held to the standards held by most members of the international community.
“Israel has defied countless UN General Assembly and Security Council resolutions, as well as the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice. It has targeted UN personnel and facilities, declaring them persona non grata. It has declared not only me but also the UN Secretary-General himself persona non grata. There have never been any sanctions imposed on Israel. Judicial processes are either ignored or obstructed,” Albanese said.
Albanese stressed the importance of addressing the Palestinian issue in accordance with international law.
Satterthwaite, the UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, also recalled that the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Mohammed Deif.
“These arrest warrants were issued by an independent court that found that there were reasonable grounds to believe that they were committed based on evidence of conduct that meets the standards for war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Satterthwaite said, underlining that member states must fully cooperate with the ICC in accordance with Article 86 of the Rome Statute.
“What will happen in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria is the ultimate litmus test for the survival of the international legality of what we call the UN system of rules,” said Katrougalos, the UN rapporteur on international order.
Katrougalos noted that multilateralism was under pressure like never before, and underlined that there had recently been unprecedented attacks against the UN, particularly by Israeli officials.
Pointing to Israel’s ongoing attacks on Syria following the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime, Katrougalos said: “Syria is truly part of a pattern. These attacks are another example of Israel’s lawlessness in the region. Israel is launching attacks against a sovereign state without provocation.”
Katrougalos reported that unexpected developments were rapidly taking place in Syria and that a new process had begun, and pointed out the importance of protecting the rights of all groups, including minorities.
“One of the striking features of the last 14 months is how Israel has used the rhetoric of counter-terrorism to legitimize exceptional and extreme violence against Palestinians. This is accompanied by a chronic dehumanization of the Palestinian people,” said Saul, the UN special rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism issues.
Saul noted that Israel has enjoyed impunity for decades, which has emboldened Israel to increasingly escalate its violence and lawlessness in Gaza and other areas.
Saul emphasized that the incidents and violations in Gaza are unprecedented in the recent history of war, and stated that Israel has not been held accountable for its deliberate and indiscriminate attacks on civilians, deliberately starving them, denying humanitarian aid, and targeting civil society and UN organizations in the last 14 months.
Recalling that the US and Germany are Israel’s largest arms suppliers, Saul stressed that the countries’ pressure should be exerted to stop arms sales and save Palestinian lives.
“There is absolutely no basis in international law for preemptively or preventively disarming a country that you don’t like. This is completely illegal, there is absolutely no basis in international law for doing this. But this is a continuation of what Israel has been doing in Syria for at least 10 years,” Saul said.
UN special rapporteurs are known as part of a process known as the “special mechanisms of the Human Rights Council.”
Independent special mechanisms in the UN Human Rights system stand out as independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms of the Council that address the situation of a particular country or thematic issues in any part of the world.
Experts from special mechanisms that are not part of the institution carry out their work independently and on a voluntary basis.
According to UN Special Envoy, “Syria is now at a crossroads with great opportunities for us, but also with grave risks. And we need really to look at both,” said Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria. “We know that, of course, HTS is now the dominant group in control of Damascus, but it’s important also to remember that they are not the only armed group in Damascus.”
