The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, concluded today a first series of public hearings held during the past week at the United Nations in Geneva. These hearings were part of the Commission’s ongoing investigative work, including for upcoming reports.
“This week, we looked at two particular subsets or categories within this broad framework”, said Chris Sidoti, Commission Member. “The first dealt with the designations of seven Palestinian non-government organizations, human rights organizations, as unlawful organisations and six of them as terrorist organisations,” he explained.
Mr. Sidoti added that “the second thing that we looked at was the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh. So, these are not the sole focus of our investigation at all, but rather we see them as particularly significant in giving us a better understanding of the overall situation of civic space, civil society and throughout that region, throughout the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel.”
During the past week, 13 witnesses and victims of civil society organizations and legal representatives provided relevant testimony to the three Commissioners Navi Pillay, Chris Sidoti and Miloon Kothari in this forum. One of them is Lina Abu Akleh who has been seeking justice and accountability for the killing of her aunt, the Al Jazeera veteran journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, on 11 May 2022.
“Lina Abu Akleh talked about the events at the funeral of her aunt Shireen Abu Akleh, and that gave us a great deal of additional insight into how the family related to the Israeli authorities and what occurred on the day of the funeral”, reported Mr. Sidoti. “I am hearing directly from Ali Sammoudi, who was the second journalist who was shot, not killed but shot on the same day, was very important to get a better understanding of what occurred during those terrible hours when Shireen Abu Akleh was shot and died.”
The public hearings provided not only the Commission with important insights, but they also gave a public voice to those who have been suffering and haven’t been heard in the past.
“It is really important for these public hearings to be held because it allows us the space to share our testimonies, the experience and the suffering we had to endure over the past six months, but also it allows our voices to get across and our messages and our demands. It’s because it’s unfortunate that the Commission of Inquiry cannot access the territories”, said Lina Abu Akleh.
Shireen’s death sparked outrage and condemnation as the journalist had been covering an Israeli security operation in the city of Jenin in the Palestinian territories when she was killed.
“The lack of accountability, the lack of justice is what pushed me to advocate for my aunt Shireen”, said Lina Abu Akleh. “It’s the importance of getting justice and getting her message across, is what continues to push me towards our pursuit”,
In May 2021, the Commission of Inquiry was mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel all alleged violations of international humanitarian law and all alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law leading up to and since 13 April 2021.
-ends-
STORY: Wrap-up Commission of Inquriy on the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel – Public Hearings
TRT: 2 mins 31s
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 11 November 2022 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
1
1
1
Edited News | UNWOMEN
Aid agencies echoed wider warnings of growing signs of widespread starvation in Gaza on Tuesday, as UN-partnered international food security experts released their most dire assessment yet of the situation in the wartorn enclave.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , UNDP , UNHCR
Sudan: urgent help needed as more than 1.3 million war-displaced people begin to return home
As conflict rages on across parts of Sudan, pockets of relative safety have emerged in the past four month, spurring more than one million internally displaced Sudanese to make their way home, says the International Organization for Migration (IOM). A further 320,000 cross-border refugees have come back to Sudan since last year, mainly from Egypt and South Sudan, to assess the current situation before deciding to return to their country for good.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA , WHO
Gaza: SOS messages describe people fainting from hunger; UN health worker detained
Worrying alerts from United Nations staff in Gaza who have been fainting from hunger and exhaustion over the past 48 hours have increased fears for people’s survival in the devastated enclave, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , UNOG
Over 11.6 million refugees risk losing aid access due to funding cuts, says UNHCR
Approximately one in three refugees and other vulnerable individuals normally supported by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) are expected to lose out from funding cuts, it said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, made the following announcement on the Office’s opening of a new mission in Bangladesh.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
“The surge in the number of Afghans forced or compelled to return to Afghanistan this year is creating a multi-layered human rights crisis requiring the urgent attention of the international community,” UN Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday called for accountability and justice for the killings and other gross human rights violations and abuses in the southern city of Suweida.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNHCR
Syria: hundreds killed in Sweida, ‘widespread’ violations as civilians flee for their lives
Amid violent clashes in southern Syria’s Sweida governorate, a picture of grave human rights abuses and rising humanitarian needs is emerging by the hour, the UN said on Friday.
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva the UN Human Rights Spokesperson Liz Throssell made the following statement on the latest number of civilian casualties in Ukraine.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office on Tuesday called for investigations into hundreds of killings of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank by Israeli security forces and settlers, warning against ongoing forced mass displacement of the Palestinian population.
1
1
2
Edited News | OHCHR , UNRWA
Nearly 900 people have been killed in Gaza in recent weeks trying to fetch food, with most deaths linked to private aid hubs run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) and the UN Human Rights Office have today released a report detailing the evolution of violent gang incidents beyond the capital Port-au-Prince since October 2024 up to June 2025, and the resulting loss of life and mass displacement.