Zionist crimes

There is nothing that is right in how the world treats the occupied lands of Palestine. In recent weeks, protests by Palestinians against increasing settlements and new restrictions have been on the rise. So has the violence against the protestors. At a time when Palestine is no longer the Middle East’s premier conflict, the decision of the UN special rapporteur for occupied Palestine to resign after being impended from doing his work by Israel reminds us of the horrors of life in the West Bank. UN Special Rapporteur Makarim Wibisono was tasked with investigating human rights violations by the Israeli military during the 2014 war in Palestine. The UN official was denied access to the West Bank and Gaza. He hasI issued a press statement claiming that he cannot proceed with his work under the given circumstances. The fact is that Israel never accepted the UN special rapporteur, accusing him of pro-Palestinian views, and tried to ensure that Israeli war crimes and human rights abuses would go unreported as before.

An estimated 1,500 Palestinians died in the 2014 war, one-third of them children. Wibisono’s resignation will take effect after March 31 once he submits his report on the human rights abuse during the war. The report, however, is unlikely to push the boundaries in terms of what the world already knows. By denying access to the UN official, Israel has confirmed that it operates in complete disregard of all international covenants and conventions. In the midst of all this, there has been some good symbolic news at least for Palestine as the Vatican recognised it as a full state after signing a treaty with the occupied territory this weekend. But the issue of taking Israel to task for consistent human rights abuses seems to be a non-starter. In the meantime, Israel has begun another small-scale offensive in Lebanon. It is obvious to much of the world that Israel retains impunity in international affairs. The UN will have to show much more of a fight against attempts by the state of Israel to block an investigation into its war crimes.