UN chief Ban Ki-moon has asked Israel to end the blockade in Gaza, stop the construction of the wall in West Bank, and cease violating human rights of Palestinian children in detention.
In his latest report on human rights of the Palestinians, Ban stressed that the blockade of Gaza, which is in its third year amounts to "collective punishment", and is violation of right to food, water, health, work and adequate standard of living of the Palestinian people.
..."In particular, the Government of Israel should allow unimpeded access to Gaza for humanitarian aid and the non-humanitarian goods needed for the reconstruction of properties and infrastructure," he added.
The secretary general also calls on Israeli authorities to ease restrictions on Palestinians in the West Bank through checkpoints, road blocks, the Wall, closed military zones, prohibited roads and permit requirements.
"The severe restrictions on the freedom of movement of Palestinians living in the West Bank represent a major human rights concern," he noted. Access to approximately one third of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is completely prohibited to Palestinians without a special permit issued by the Israeli military," according to the report.
The report further described that even with a special permit driving a vehicle with a Palestinian number plate in restricted areas is prohibited under all circumstances.
Revealing that in East Jerusalem alone from January to July 2009 at least 194 persons were forcibly displaced as a result of home demolitions, and some neighbourhoods face the prospects of mass demolition, the secretary general called on authorities to immediately cease evictions and punitive destruction of homes.
"Permits for new houses are rarely given and homes of West Bank or East Jerusalem ID-holders are frequently demolished on the basis that they had been built without the requisite building permission and were therefore illegal structures," Ban said.
Finally, the report highlighted the treatment of round 6,500 Palestinian children arrested between 2000 and 008 who are being detained in Israeli prison facilities.In the majority of cases children are arrested for throwing stones at moving Israel Defense Forces (IDF) vehicles or the wall.
"Children are often arrested at home in the middle of the night or early hours of morning, and a confession obtained during interrogation is almost invariably the sole piece of primary evidence used by the prosecution, the report said citing several NGOs," the report said.
Ban's report, Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories, finds that children suffer ill treatment in prisons. Full story
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