Resolution 56/59
(December 10, 2001)
The General Assembly,
Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter
of the United Nations,
Guided also by the principles of international humanitarian
law, in particular the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection
of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949,1 as well as international standards of human rights, in particular the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights2 and the International
Covenants on Human Rights,3
Recalling its relevant resolutions, including resolution
2443 (XXIII) of 19 December 1968, and relevant resolutions of the Commission
on Human Rights,
Recalling also relevant resolutions of the Security
Council,
Aware of the lasting impact of the uprising (intifada)
of the Palestinian people,
Convinced that occupation itself represents a gross
violation of human rights,
Gravely concerned about the continuation of the tragic
events that have taken place since 28 September 2000, including the
excessive use of force by the Israeli occupying forces against Palestinian
civilians, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries,
Having considered the reports of the Special Committee
to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian
People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories4 and the relevant reports of the Secretary-General,5
Recalling the signing of the Declaration
of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements by the Government
of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization in Washington, D.C.,
on 13 September 1993,6 as well as the subsequent implementation
agreements, including the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the
West Bank and the Gaza Strip signed in Washington, D.C., on 28 September
1995,7
Expressing the hope that, with the progress of the
peace process, the Israeli occupation will be brought to an end and
therefore violation of the human rights of the Palestinian people will
cease,
1. Commends the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli
Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other
Arabs of the Occupied Territories for its efforts in performing the
tasks assigned to it by the General Assembly and for its impartiality;
2. Demands that Israel cooperate with the Special Committee
in implementing its mandate;
3. Deplores those policies and practices of Israel
which violate the human rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs
of the occupied territories, as reflected in the reports of the Special
Committee covering the reporting period;
4. Expresses grave concern about the situation in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, as a result of
Israeli practices and measures, and especially condemns the excessive
use of force in the past year which has resulted in more than seven
hundred Palestinian deaths and tens of thousands of injuries;
5. Requests the Special Committee, pending complete
termination of the Israeli occupation, to continue to investigate Israeli
policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including
Jerusalem, and other Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967,
especially Israeli lack of compliance with the provisions of the Geneva
Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of
War, of 12 August 1949,1 and to consult, as appropriate, with the International
Committee of the Red Cross according to its regulations in order to
ensure that the welfare and human rights of the peoples of the occupied
territories are safeguarded and to report to the Secretary-General as
soon as possible and whenever the need arises thereafter;
6. Also requests the Special Committee to submit regularly
to the Secretary-General periodic reports on the current situation in
the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem;
7. Further requests the Special Committee to continue
to investigate the treatment of prisoners in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory, including Jerusalem, and other Arab territories occupied
by Israel since 1967;
8. Requests the Secretary-General:
(a) To provide the Special Committee with all necessary
facilities, including those required for its visits to the occupied
territories, so that it may investigate the Israeli policies and practices
referred to in the present resolution;
(b) To continue to make available such additional staff
as may be necessary to assist the Special Committee in the performance
of its tasks;
(c) To circulate regularly to Member States the periodic
reports mentioned in paragraph 6 above;
(d) To ensure the widest circulation of the reports
of the Special Committee and of information regarding its activities
and findings, by all means available, through the Department of Public
Information of the Secretariat and, where necessary, to reprint those
reports of the Special Committee that are no longer available;
(e) To report to the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh
session on the tasks entrusted to him in the present resolution;
9. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of
its fifty-seventh session the item entitled "Report of the Special
Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights
of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories".
82nd plenary meeting
10 December 2001
Notes:
1.United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75, No. 973.
2.Resolution 217 A (III).
3.Resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.
4.See A/56/428 and Add.1 and A/56/491.
5.A/56/214–219.
6.A/48/486-S/26560, annex.
7.A/51/889-S/1997/357, annex.
Sources: The United Nations |