UNITED NATIONS, July 20: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned Israel on Friday that destroying Palestinian homes and deporting relatives of suicide bombers amounted to collective punishment of the Palestinian people.
“While Annan has repeatedly condemned suicide bombings and upheld Israel’s right to defend itself, the secretary-general wishes to make clear that self-defence cannot justify measures that amount to collective punishments,” spokeswoman Hua Jiang said in a statement.
Israeli security sources said Attorney General of Israel, Elyakim Rubinstein, had set terms for the possible deportation of relatives of Palestinian militants to the Gaza Strip from the West Bank if they were found to have links to plans for attacks.
The discussion of deportation followed Israel’s demolition of the family homes of two Palestinian militants accused of planning attacks which killed 11 people in Israel and near a West Bank Jewish settlement this week.
“The secretary-general is disturbed by reports that the Israeli government has again destroyed the homes of Palestinians in the West Bank and are considering the forcible transfer of relatives of suicide bombers from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip,” Jiang said in a statement.
On Thursday, the UN Security Council urged Israel and the Palestinians to support international efforts to achieve Middle East peace and establish a Palestinian state within three years.
The council endorsed a statement issued on Tuesday by the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia, calling for an intensive effort to achieve reform, security and peace.
The so-called Quartet said efforts towards ensuring security, achieving a political settlement, and providing economic development and humanitarian assistance for the Palestinians must proceed “hand in hand,” though not necessarily at the same pace.
“The Security Council calls upon the government of Israel, the Palestinian Authority and all states in the region to cooperate with the efforts to achieve the goals set out in the joint statement,” the council said in a statement. The statement stressed “the importance of, and the need to achieve, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.”