UN to Investigate Israeli Apartheid Allegations

New York, MINA – The United Nations Commission of Inquiry has announced that an investigation into Israel’s apartheid allegations, the Middle East Monitor reported on Saturday.

In a statement at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States on Thursday, three members of the UN Commission said future reports would investigate Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians.

They said the investigation had so far focused on the root causes of the conflict which were confirmed to have escalated due to Israel’s illegal occupation of the occupied West Bank.

Former UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay who is also the head of the Commission of Inquiry said apartheid was a manifestation of the occupation.

“We are focused on the root cause of the problem which is the occupation and part of it lies in apartheid. We are going towards that. That is the beauty of this open mandate, it gives us scope,” Pillay said.

The commission was formed after Israel’s 11-day offensive into Gaza in May 2021 which killed and injured civilians, displaced thousands of residents, destroyed homes and vital infrastructure and severely disrupted the supply of basic services.

Commission member Miloon Kothari also said the open nature of the investigation allowed him to examine allegations of apartheid.

“We will achieve it because we have a lot of time and problems to look at,” he said.

“We think a comprehensive approach is needed so we have to look at the issue of settler colonialism,” Kothari added.

Apartheid itself, he continued, is a very useful paradigm, so has a slightly different approach but will definitely achieve it.

Earlier this month, 143 UN member states, including Israel, voted in favor of a General Assembly resolution reaffirming that any attempt at the unilateral annexation of one state’s territory by another is a violation of international law.

The Commission of Inquiry dedicates a large part of its report to reviewing the impact of the Israeli occupation and its de facto annexation policies on Palestinian human rights.

On 27 May 2021, the Human Rights Council agreed to establish an independent and ongoing international commission of inquiry to investigate all allegations of violations of international humanitarian law as well as violations of international human rights law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem and in Israel.

The Commission has published several reports since its creation. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)