GENEVA, Aug 8: Israel should stop building its fence through the West Bank, a panel of UN human rights experts said on Friday, warning that the barrier imposed “unjustifiably severe” restrictions on the movement of Palestinians.
The experts on the UN Committee on Human Rights also told Israel to halt “targeted killings” of terror suspects in the Occupied Territories, in written conclusions released here after examining the country’s recent civil and political rights record.
It also called for a halt to the use of human shields in military operations in Palestinian territories and deplored the prolonged detention of suspects without contact with the outside world.
The 18 member panel acknowledged “the seriousness of the state’s security concerns that have prompted recent restrictions”.
But it was “concerned that the construction of the ‘Seam Zone’... imposes additional and unjustifiably severe restrictions on the right to freedom of movement of, in particular, Palestinians in the Occupied Territories”.
The Committee warned that the wall was disrupting the daily life of Palestinians, including access to emergency medical treatment and to water.
“The construction of a ‘Seam Zone’ within the occupied territories should be stopped,” it concluded, referring to the Israeli government’s description of the wall.
The conclusions were issued after a regular assessment of the country’s application of the 1976 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Israel ratified in 1992.
Committee chairman Abdelfattah Amor praised Israel’s cooperation with the committee, but told journalists that “international law cannot justify any action in the name of international security”.
The conclusions also highlighted reports about the ongoing use of illicit “interrogation techniques” and called on the Israeli government to provide more information about complaints of torture or ill treatment.
It also noted positive developments, including attempts to improve the status of women in Israeli society, increased education for Arab and Bedouin communities and efforts to improve conditions for migrant workers.
Israel, which argues that the Committee has no oversight on the occupied territories, reacted favourably to the UN panel’s acknowledgment of positive factors.
Israeli ambassador Yaakov Levy in a statement noted the experts’ “understanding, if with some reservations”, of Israel’s defence measures.
He also called “for further reflection regarding the justification of measures such as the security fence”.
ALTERNATIVE ROUTES: Israel said on Friday it was exploring alternative routes for the next leg of a controversial West Bank security barrier that has drawn threats of financial sanctions from its US ally.
A senior official said the government was sensitive to US concerns that parts of the project could complicate the peace process and was looking to accommodate the Americans.
The official suggested Israel might hold off further extension of the wall until a compromise was found but stopped short of confirming a report that work on certain segments had been halted.
Secretary of State Colin Powell on Thursday renewed US concerns about the barrier which at some points is planned to intrude into Palestinian territory across the 1967 Green Line between Israel and the West Bank.—AFP