Dr. Saeb Erekat on the latest wave of Palestinian homes demolished by Israel

Each and every crime Israel commits in violation of our rights are documented, reported, and presented to the relevant international bodies, including the International Criminal Court

Over the past 24 hours, seven Palestinian homes have been demolished in Occupied East Jerusalem, Surif, Qabatia and Duma by the Israeli Occupying Forces. This is another act of collective punishment committed by Israel against the Palestinian civilian population in violation of international law and Israel’s obligations as the belligerent occupying power.  

Each and every crime Israel commits in violation of our rights are documented, reported, and presented to the relevant international bodies, including the International Criminal Court. Granting impunity for continued and systematic Israeli crimes will not achieve a resumption of negotiations, rather, it is killing any realistic political horizon to end the Israeli occupation of the State of Palestine. 

A few days ago, the Human Rights Council voted a resolution on “Ensuring accountability and justice for all violations of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.” Although it passed with resounding approval, countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Latvia, India, Netherlands and Paraguay, among others, opted to abstain. We call upon those countries to review their positions.  Allowing Israel to act as a state above the law only perpetuates Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights and ensures the destruction of the two-state solution.

Between September 13th 2015 and April 4th 2016, Israeli Occupation Forces have demolished 157 houses in occupied Palestine.