JEDDAH: The Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has expressed grave concern over the deteriorating human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Observing the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the IPHRC underlined the urgency of ending Israel’s occupation.
“While the world observes this important day, Gaza is still under blockade, and 61 percent of the West Bank is under total occupation and marred by Israeli illegal settlements,” it said.
The IPHRC warned against continued Israeli attempts to Judaize Jerusalem at the expense of the city’s Muslim and Christian identity.
It stressed the identity of Al-Aqsa Mosque as a uniquely Islamic holy site, and recalled all UNESCO decisions denying any Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem’s Old City.
The IPHRC condemned the repeated closures of Al-Aqsa Mosque as illegal under international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention.
It said the closures have “the potential to inflame the religious sentiments of not just Palestinians but Muslims all over the world.”
The IPHRC urged the international community to use all appropriate means to force Israel to end its violations of Palestinians’ human rights, and expressed regret at the UN Security Council’s inaction in this regard.
The commission expressed disappointment at the recent celebrations held by Britain to mark the centenary of the Balfour Declaration, which vowed to establish a Jewish “national home” in Palestine.
The commission welcomed UN General Assembly resolutions on the illegality of Israeli settlement activity. It also welcomed the recent Palestinian reconciliation agreement.
The IPHRC urged member states to join the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against products from Israeli settlements.
It urged OIC members to take the lead in providing political and economic support at all levels to the Palestinian people in their struggle for an independent, viable and contiguous state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and the right of refugees to return to their homes, as per international law and UN resolutions.
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OIC concerned by worsening human rights situation in Palestine
OIC concerned by worsening human rights situation in Palestine
5 bodies of migrants washed ashore in east of Libya’s capital Tripoli, police officer says
TRIPOLI: At least five bodies of migrants including two women have been washed ashore in َQasr Al-Akhyar, a coastal town in the east of Libya’s capital Tripoli, a police officer told Reuters on Saturday.
Hassan Al-Ghawil, head of investigations at the Qasr Al-Akhyar police station, said that according to people in the area, a child’s body washed ashore and because of the waves’ height the body returned to the sea, and the coast guard was asked to search for it.
Ghawil said the bodies are all dark-skinned people. The bodies were found on Emhamid Al-Sharif shore in the western part of the town by people who reported to the police station.
Libya has become a transit route for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty to Europe across the Mediterranean since the fall in 2011 of dictator Muammar Qaddafi to a NATO-backed uprising. Factional conflict has split the country into western and eastern factions since 2014.
Qasr Al-Akhyar is a coastal town some 73 kilometers (45 miles) east of Tripoli.
Pictures were posted on the Internet, and also seen by Reuters, showing the bodies of the migrants lying on the shore, where some were still within black inflatable lifebuoys.
“We reported to the Red Crescent to recover the bodies,” said Ghawil. “The bodies we found are still intact and we think there are more bodies to wash ashore.”
Earlier this month, fifty-three migrants, including two babies, were dead or missing after a rubber boat carrying 55 people capsized off the coast of Zuwara town in western Tripoli, the International Organization for Migration said.
Last week, a UN report said migrants in Libya, including young girls, are at risk of being killed, tortured, raped or put into domestic slavery, calling for a moratorium on the return of migrant boats to the country until human rights are ensured.
Hassan Al-Ghawil, head of investigations at the Qasr Al-Akhyar police station, said that according to people in the area, a child’s body washed ashore and because of the waves’ height the body returned to the sea, and the coast guard was asked to search for it.
Ghawil said the bodies are all dark-skinned people. The bodies were found on Emhamid Al-Sharif shore in the western part of the town by people who reported to the police station.
Libya has become a transit route for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty to Europe across the Mediterranean since the fall in 2011 of dictator Muammar Qaddafi to a NATO-backed uprising. Factional conflict has split the country into western and eastern factions since 2014.
Qasr Al-Akhyar is a coastal town some 73 kilometers (45 miles) east of Tripoli.
Pictures were posted on the Internet, and also seen by Reuters, showing the bodies of the migrants lying on the shore, where some were still within black inflatable lifebuoys.
“We reported to the Red Crescent to recover the bodies,” said Ghawil. “The bodies we found are still intact and we think there are more bodies to wash ashore.”
Earlier this month, fifty-three migrants, including two babies, were dead or missing after a rubber boat carrying 55 people capsized off the coast of Zuwara town in western Tripoli, the International Organization for Migration said.
Last week, a UN report said migrants in Libya, including young girls, are at risk of being killed, tortured, raped or put into domestic slavery, calling for a moratorium on the return of migrant boats to the country until human rights are ensured.
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