UN Committee Urges Global Support for Palestinians’ Right to Self-Determination and Independent State

New york: The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory on Tuesday urged member states to use all available means to ensure the continuation of the ceasefire and to provide broad international support for the Palestinian right to self-determination and the establishment of a Palestinian state. According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the commission presented its report on Tuesday to the Third Committee of the General Assembly, which is concerned with social, humanitarian, and cultural affairs. A large part of its work focuses on examining human rights issues. The commission concluded that "Israel is responsible for four acts of genocide in Gaza with the specific intent of destroying Palestinians" in the Strip, and found that "the Israeli President, Prime Minister, and former Defense Minister incited genocide." Commission Chair Navi Pillay said that member states must also focus on ensuring justice and accountability for all victim s by supporting the International Criminal Court in its investigations and using universal jurisdiction to conduct their own investigations, including into their dual nationals suspected of crimes. Regarding Gaza, the commission found that Israeli officials have demonstrated a clear and consistent intent to establish permanent military control over Gaza and alter its demographic composition. 'Civilian infrastructure and natural resources essential to the survival of the civilian population in the corridors and buffer zones have been destroyed, land fragmented, and Palestinians forcibly transferred. Israeli officials have publicly endorsed plans for population transfer, settlement construction, and land annexation.' Regarding the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, Pillay said that Israeli policies and actions implemented since October 2023, including 'explicit and implicit support for the criminal actions of the colonizers, demonstrate a clear intent to forcibly transfer Palestinians, expand the I sraeli Jewish civilian presence, and annex most of the West Bank.' She said the goal 'is to prevent any possibility of Palestinian self-determination and statehood and to maintain the occupation indefinitely,' adding, 'It pains me that, in my last presentation as Chair of this commission, the post-World War II multilateral system has failed to prevent this genocide. The inadequacies of the international system have been exposed.'