A United Nations official today expressed extreme worry about the deteriorating situation in the occupied Palestinian territories following the killing of five Palestinians and wounding 91 others in the northern West Bank camp of Jenin. Speaking in 53rd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Volker Trk United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that he was ‘extremely worried by the deteriorating situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,’ while referring to the fact that ‘excessive use of force and unlawful killings of Palestinians by the Israeli Security Forces have increased, including apparent extrajudicial killings.’ ‘The recent escalation of violence in Gaza, as well as forcible transfer of Palestinians through evictions, demolitions of homes, the expansion of settlements and settler violence also cry out for human rights-based solutions,’ he added. He mentioned that Israel’s ‘cooperation with the Special Procedures and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry is almost non-existent’ and for three years has ‘not granted visas to my international colleagues to monitor issues on the ground.’ He called on Israel to accept ‘key recommendations during its fourth UPR cycle will be the basis for renewed, constructive engagement with my Office and the UN human rights ecosystem.’

Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA