UNITED NATIONS: Israel’s raids on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank this week, which killed at least twelve Palestinians including five minors, might constitute a war crime, UN experts said on Thursday.
Houses, apartment buildings and other infrastructure were destroyed during two days of assault on Monday and Tuesday, and more than four thousand Palestinians were forced to flee.
The UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory Francesca Albanese, and the special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons Paula Betancur said that Israel’s aggressive actions amounted to serious violations of international law and the use of force standards and may constitute a war crime, Arab News reported.
They added that these were the fiercest attacks in the area since the destruction of the Jenin camp in 2002.
Albanese and Betancur mentioned reports of ambulance crews being prevented to reach the refugee camp, thereby stopping wounded people from receiving medical aid.
They said that it was heart-breaking to see thousands of Palestinian refugees forced to march out of the camp in intense fear at the dead of night.
Special rapporteurs are part of what is called the special procedures of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). They are independent experts working on a voluntary basis, are not members of UN crew and are not paid for their work.
Albanese and Betancur condemned Israel’s operation and said such operations could not be justified under international law.
Israel’s raids constitute collective punishment
They said that the raids constitute collective punishment of the Palestinian people, who have been labelled a collective security threat by Israeli authorities.
They also expressed serious concern about tactics and weapons used at least twice over the past two weeks by Israeli military against the people of Jenin.
Albanese and Betancur said that the Palestinians are protected persons under international law, a guaranteed presumption of innocence and all other human rights. They cannot be dealt as a collective security threat by the occupying authorities.
The experts demanded that Israel be held accountable under international law for its illegal and illegitimate occupation and violent acts to perpetuate it.