UNITED NATIONS, April 3: The UN high commissioner for human rights, Mary Robinson on Tuesday called for the United Nations to send an urgent fact-finding mission to the West Bank and Gaza Strip to report on human rights violations by Israeli and Palestinian forces.

“The last days have brought a frightening increase in the loss of life,” Mrs Robinson, said, noting that suicide bombings had killed dozens of people in Israel, while unknown numbers of Palestinians had also been killed.

“There have been reports of possible extrajudicial executions by the IDF (Israeli Defence Force) and there are also reports of the killing of eight Palestinians accused of ‘collaborating’ with Israel,” she noted. “These are tragic examples of a spiral of violence and arbitrary deprivation of life that must be ended.”

Mrs Robinson pointed out that the UN Security Council sends visiting missions to areas of concern, and asked, “Would it not be right for this Commission to dispatch immediately a visiting mission that would travel to the area and return expeditiously to the Commission with their finding and recommendations?” She added that the protection of human rights would require such a step “as a very minimum.”

Mrs Robinson also recalled that following her visit to the region in 2000 she had asked that the feasibility of establishing an international monitoring presence be explored. “That proposal should now be implemented,” she said.

“International observers on the ground can be a deterrent to the violations of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories and also can promote human security against suicide and other attacks on Israeli civilians.”