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"It is clear that Israel is in
violation of the most fundamental norms of humanitarian law and
human rights law," Dugard said.
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GENEVA — The United Nations Human Rights Council
decided on Thursday, July 6, to send a fact-finding mission to the
occupied Palestinian territories to report on Israel's grave rights
violations in the occupied lands, which claimed at least twelve
innocent lives in today alone.
The mission will be headed by John Dugard, the UN
special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories,
said a resolution adopted by the council and cited by Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
The resolution also urged Israel to halt its
military offensive against the Palestinians and to release abducted
Palestinian ministers, lawmakers and civilians.
Israeli occupation forces have abducted a third of
the Palestinian government, twenty four lawmakers and scores of
municipal officials in nigh-time raids across the occupied West Bank
last week.
The resolution, drafted by the Organization of the
Islamic Conference, called on "all concerned parties to respect
the rules of international humanitarian law and to refrain from
violence against civilians."
It also pressed "for a negotiated solution to
the current crisis" in the Palestinian territories.
Israeli forces on Thursday, July 6, thrust into
northern Gaza Strip and reoccupied areas of the dismantled Jewish
settlements, killing at least six twelve Palestinians.
About 5,000 troops and columns of Israeli tanks are
stationed on the Gaza border in the largest Israeli offensive since it
pulled out of the tiny coastal territory last September, ending a
38-year-occupation.
Israel launched its offensive on Wednesday, June
28, after an Israeli soldier was taken prisoner by Palestinian groups.
Violations
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Palestinians in the West Bank began
collecting candles to help 1.4 million Palestinians plunged into
complete darkness in Gaza.
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Addressing a special council session on Wednesday,
July 5, Dugard accused Israel of violating the international human
rights law.
"It is clear that Israel is in violation of
the most fundamental norms of humanitarian law and human rights
law," he said.
The UN official also accused the Israeli military
of "disproportionate use of force against civilians."
He said the Palestinians in Gaza were living
without water while foodstuffs and medicines are running out.
Dugard added that more than 1,500 rounds of
artillery were showered on Gaza over the past week, while sonic booms
terrorized the population.
"Israel's conduct is morally
indefensible," said the envoy who last visited the area in June.
Israeli war fighters have knocked out the Gaza
Strip's main power plant, three main bridges, water pipes, schools,
universities, football pitches and tombs.
Israeli tanks and bulldozers also devastated vast
swathes of olive trees, a main source of income to the Palestinian
farmers.
Switzerland, the depositary state for the Geneva
Conventions, has also accused Israel of breaking humanitarian law by
inflicting "collective punishment" on Palestinians.
It stressed that there was "no doubt"
that Israel had not taken the necessary precautions required of it
under international law to protect the civilian population and
infrastructure.
Candles
Helping 1.4 million Palestinians in Gaza, who were
plunged into complete darkness after the bombing of the area's only
power plant, Palestinians in the West Bank began collecting candles to
help light up the Gaza Strip.
"This is to show solidarity with our people in
Gaza," Ismail Sharif, 37, told Reuters after dropping three
candles into a box placed in Ramallah.
The campaign, organized by local authorities in the
West Bank city, aims to collect at least one million candles to be
shipped to the territory by the International Committee of the Red
Cross.
The Gaza Electrical Distribution Company estimates
it will take nine months to repair the damage done to the main power
station and could cost up to $15 million.
Israel's closure of the Rafah border crossing also
made it more difficult for Palestinians to get fuel supplies to light
their homes.
The ongoing Israeli onslaught pushed Indonesia, the
world's most populous Muslim nation, to pull out its Fed cup tennis
tie with Israel.
"We have decided to pull out of the play-off
because even though tennis is a sport, we have to be consistent in our
support for the Palestinian people who have suffered excessive
aggression by Israel," foreign ministry spokesman Desra Percaya
said.
Enggal Karyono, head of the tournament division of
the Indonesian Tennis Association (PELTI), told AFP the country could
be fined up to 50,000 dollars and barred from playing group matches
for one year if it refused to play Israel due to political or
religious differences.
Asked to comment on the prospect of the sanctions,
Percaya said: "These losses are just material, but principles are
priceless."
