Al Jazeera News :
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has called on the international community to defend the two-state solution in an address at the opening of the 34th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Abbas told member states on Monday that Israel was moving towards an “apartheid solution” in Palestine in light of a new Israeli law passed earlier this month that legalised dozens of Jewish-only settlement outposts built on private Palestinian land.
He also cautioned states against moving their embassies in Israel to Jerusalem, in a warning seen as a direct response to promises made by US President Donald Trump during his campaign for the White House in which he threatened to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the divided holy city.
“Palestine will remain the litmus test for this council … and whether it succeeds or not,
will be crucial for the credibility of the human rights system throughout the world,” said Abbas.
Abbas was the first of more than 100 dignitaries to speak at the “high-level segment” of this year’s session. The last and only time Abbas addressed the council was in 2015.
The 34th session also marked first address to the UNHRC by Antonio Guterres, who began his tenure as the new UN secretary-general in January. After the three-day, high-level session, the council is expected to move on to issues such as the death penalty, racial profiling and incitement.
“Palestine today is a truth, a reality anchored in history and the international system. It was recognised by the international community in 2012, 138 states have recognised it and its flag is raised at the United Nations,” he said.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has called on the international community to defend the two-state solution in an address at the opening of the 34th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Abbas told member states on Monday that Israel was moving towards an “apartheid solution” in Palestine in light of a new Israeli law passed earlier this month that legalised dozens of Jewish-only settlement outposts built on private Palestinian land.
He also cautioned states against moving their embassies in Israel to Jerusalem, in a warning seen as a direct response to promises made by US President Donald Trump during his campaign for the White House in which he threatened to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the divided holy city.
“Palestine will remain the litmus test for this council … and whether it succeeds or not,
will be crucial for the credibility of the human rights system throughout the world,” said Abbas.
Abbas was the first of more than 100 dignitaries to speak at the “high-level segment” of this year’s session. The last and only time Abbas addressed the council was in 2015.
The 34th session also marked first address to the UNHRC by Antonio Guterres, who began his tenure as the new UN secretary-general in January. After the three-day, high-level session, the council is expected to move on to issues such as the death penalty, racial profiling and incitement.
“Palestine today is a truth, a reality anchored in history and the international system. It was recognised by the international community in 2012, 138 states have recognised it and its flag is raised at the United Nations,” he said.
