HRC61 - Iceland statement - ID on the High Commissioner’s Report on Occupied Palestinian Territory
Human Rights Council – 61st Session
Interactive Dialogue on the High Commissioner’s Report on Occupied Palestinian Territory
Statement delivered by Iceland
High Commissioner,
We support your call for accountability and justice for gross violations and abuses in the occupied territories of Palestine, including acts that may amount to war crimes and other atrocity crimes.
Palestinians continue to live under extraordinarily difficult conditions. In Gaza, basic human needs for food and shelter are not being met and this is compounded by the collapse of healthcare and the destruction of essential infrastructure.
Iceland has repeatedly called for full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access, as well as access for journalists and United Nations investigators.
Any efforts toward peace and reconstruction must be firmly grounded in international law and place the rights and dignity of the Palestinian people at their core.
In the West Bank, we condemn recent Israeli decisions aimed at expanding Israel’s unlawful presence.
There is an urgent need to safeguard the work of United Nations agencies, including UNRWA, which are essential to support vulnerable communities and uphold human rights and international law.
For the same reasons, Iceland underscores the importance of supporting the work of civil society organisations.
We must realize the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the implementation of the two-State solution, with Palestine and Israel living side by side in peace and security.
Thank you.