BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 7. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has expressed strong opposition to Israeli proposals for the forced expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, warning against what he described as increasingly dehumanising rhetoric from senior Israeli officials.
Speaking at a session of the UN Human Rights Council, Türk said he was “appalled” by proposals aimed at forcibly removing Palestinians from Gaza. He also criticized Israel’s continued restrictions on humanitarian aid entering the territory.
Türk said more than 1,300 Palestinians had been killed in daily Israeli strikes despite a ceasefire announced almost a year ago. He further warned that Israel’s annexation of occupied West Bank territory was continuing without sufficient international action, despite a ruling by the International Court of Justice that found Israel’s settlement policies contrary to international law.
The UN rights chief called on states to take concrete measures to prevent the further entrenchment of Israeli occupation in areas designated for a future Palestinian state under the two-state solution.
Türk warned that repeated expressions of condemnation would have little meaning without concrete action to address what he described as violations and the suffering of Palestinians.
