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OHCHR / BACHELET OPT
STORY: OHCHR / BACHELET OPT
TRT: 02:40
SOURCE: OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 27 MAY 2021 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE
FILE - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Aerial shot, exterior Palais Wilson
27 MAY 2021 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Michelle Bachelet, High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations:
“There is no doubt that Israel has the right to defend its citizens and residents. However, Palestinians have rights too. The same rights. They too have the right to live safely and freely in their homes, with adequate and essential services and opportunities, and with respect for their right to life and physical integrity. The lived reality of the occupation, however, is that they are instead systematically deprived of fundamental rights and freedoms due to every human being.”
FILE - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
3. Aerial shot, exterior Palais Wilson
27 MAY 2021 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Michelle Bachelet, High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations:
“Although Israel undertook a number of precautions, such as advance warning of attacks in some cases, air strikes in such densely populated areas resulted in a high level of civilian fatalities and injuries, as well as the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure. Such strikes raise serious concerns of Israel’s compliance with the principles of distinction and proportionality under international humanitarian law. If found to be indiscriminate and disproportionate in their impact on civilians and civilian objects, such attacks may constitute war crimes. On the other hand, it is also a violation of international humanitarian law to locate military assets in densely populated civilian areas or to launch attacks from them. However, the actions of one party do not absolve the other from its obligations under international law.”
FILE - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
5. Aerial shot, exterior Palais Wilson
27 MAY 2021 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Michelle Bachelet, High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations:
“While I welcome the ceasefire of 21 May, it is clear that unless the root causes of this violence are addressed, it will sadly be a matter of time until the next round of violence commences, with further pain and suffering for civilians on all sides. There must be a genuine and inclusive peace process to address these root causes and bring the occupation to an end. In any such processes and for any resulting agreements, the respect and protection of human rights must be fundamental, including accountability for past human rights violations and abuses. Only when human rights are fully respected and protected can trust start to be built between the various communities and a durable, lasting and just peace be achieved.”
FILE - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
7. Aerial shot, exterior Palais Wilson
High Commissioner for Human Rights Michele Bachelet today (27 May) said, “there is no doubt that Israel has the right to defend its citizens and residents. However, Palestinians have rights too. The same rights.”
During a Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council on the situation on Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), Bachelet said, “they too have the right to live safely and freely in their homes, with adequate and essential services and opportunities, and with respect for their right to life and physical integrity. The lived reality of the occupation, however, is that they are instead systematically deprived of fundamental rights and freedoms due to every human being.”
The High Commissioner said, “although Israel undertook a number of precautions, such as advance warning of attacks in some cases, air strikes in such densely populated areas resulted in a high level of civilian fatalities and injuries, as well as the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure. Such strikes raise serious concerns of Israel’s compliance with the principles of distinction and proportionality under international humanitarian law. If found to be indiscriminate and disproportionate in their impact on civilians and civilian objects, such attacks may constitute war crimes.”
On the other hand, she added, “it is also a violation of international humanitarian law to locate military assets in densely populated civilian areas or to launch attacks from them. However, the actions of one party do not absolve the other from its obligations under international law.”
While welcoming the 21 May ceasefire, she said, “it is clear that unless the root causes of this violence are addressed, it will sadly be a matter of time until the next round of violence commences, with further pain and suffering for civilians on all sides. There must be a genuine and inclusive peace process to address these root causes and bring the occupation to an end. In any such processes and for any resulting agreements, the respect and protection of human rights must be fundamental, including accountability for past human rights violations and abuses. Only when human rights are fully respected and protected can trust start to be built between the various communities and a durable, lasting and just peace be achieved.”
According to figures verified by the Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR), 242 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli Security Forces (the ISF) in strikes on Gaza, including 63 children. Thousands of others have been injured while it is estimated that over 74,000 Palestinians have been displaced. In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, 28 Palestinians, including five children, were killed as of 24 May. At the same time, rockets launched by Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups killed 10 Israeli citizens and residents including two children and forced thousands into shelters.
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