AFP, Geneva :
The UN human rights chief on Friday slammed Israel’s deadly reaction to protests along the Gaza border as “wholly disproportionate”, backing calls for an international investigation.
Addressing a special session of the UN Human Rights Council on the violence which has claimed more than 100 Gazan lives in six weeks, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein warned that “killing resulting from the unlawful use of force by an occupying power may also constitute wilful killings, a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention”.
The U.N.’s top human rights official said Friday there’s “little evidence” that Israel made an effort to minimalize casualties during protests by Palestinians earlier this week and backed calls for an international inquiry.
Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein spoke in Geneva to a special session of the U.N. Human Rights Council called following a deadly crackdown on protesters in Gaza by Israeli forces. Israeli troops firing into Hamas-ruled Gaza killed nearly 60 Palestinians at mass border protests on Monday.
The session will consider a resolution put forward by Pakistan and other Muslim countries that includes a call for the council to dispatch an “independent, international commission of inquiry.”
“There is little evidence of any attempt to minimize casualties on Monday,” said Zeid, a Jordanian prince.
Some demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails, used sling-shots, flew burning kites into Israel, and attempted to use wire-cutters on border fences, but “these actions alone do not appear to constitute the imminent threat to life or deadly injury which could justify the use of lethal force,” Zeid added. He said that “the stark contrast in casualties on both sides is also suggestive of a wholly disproportionate response.” Israel and the United States have repeatedly accused the 47-member council of anti-Israel bias.
Israeli ambassador Aviva Raz Schechter said Friday’s session and the call for a commission of inquiry “are yet again politically motivated and won’t improve the situation on the ground by even one iota.”
“The unfortunate outcome of Monday’s riots can only be attributed to Hamas’ cynical exploitation of its own population in a violent campaign against Israel,” she said. “It is regrettable that so many member states allow themselves to be misled by the false narrative of so-called peaceful protests.”
UN rights chief slams Israel’s ‘wholly disproportionate’ response to Gaza riots
It said the aim should be to “establish the facts and circumstances” around “alleged violations and abuses including those that may amount to war crimes and to identify those responsible”.
The special session of the council came at the request of Palestine and the United Arab Emirates, on behalf of Arab countries in the council, the UN said earlier this week. In addition to the Arab countries, China, France, Brazil, Sweden, and Switzerland were among the 51 countries who supported the special session.
