October 14, 2009

CAIRO – A draft Human Rights Council resolution condemns Israeli aggressions against Al-Aqsa Mosques, Islam’s third holiest shrine, its seize of the Gaza Strip and the war crimes it committed against Gaza’s civilian population.

The text "strongly condemns all policies and measures taken by Israel, the occupying power, to limit access of Palestinians to their properties and holy sites particularly in Occupied East Jerusalem."

Israel has closed access to Al-Haram Al-Sharif, which include Al-Aqsa Mosque, to Muslim men under the age of 50.

The occupation authorities usually restrict Palestinian access to the holy site as a form of punishment, under security pretexts.

During the Easter holiday, Israel denied most Palestinian Christians entry to Al-Quds, homes to some of the holiest Christian worship places including the ancient Jerusalem Church and Greek Orthodox Church, also under the same security pretext.

The UN draft, prepared by the Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims, takes a sweep at the Israeli permit regime that continues to be imposed on the movement of Palestinians and hinder their free access to their holy sites.

It dismisses such Israeli restrictions as "grave violation of the Palestinian people’s civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights."

Israel captured and occupied Al-Quds in the six-day 1967 war, then annexed it in a move not recognized by the world community or UN resolutions.

The draft asks Israel to "immediately cease all digging and excavation works ... beneath and around Al Aqsa Mosque and its vicinity, and refrain from any acts or operations that may endanger the structure or foundations or change the nature of holy sites both Christian and Islamic in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem."

Palestinians insist that the occupied holy city, which represents the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict, will be the capital of their future independent state.

Gaza Too

The draft throws support behind the Richard Goldstone report accusing Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza.

It says the Human Rights Council "fully endorses the recommendations contained in the report, and calls upon all concerned parties including UN bodies, to ensure their immediate implementation in accordance with their respective mandates."

The UN fact-finding report accuses Israel of committing war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity during its three-week Gaza onslaught.

It recommends that the UN Security Council should ask the International Criminal Court to examine the charges, unless progress was made in investigations in Israel and the Palestinian territories within six months.

Israeli troops killed more than 1,400 Palestinians, more than half of them civilians, and injured thousands in 22 days of attacks in Gaza.

The onslaught wrecked havoc on the Gaza infrastructure, destroying thousands of homes and buildings across the impoverished territory.

The new draft also criticizes Israel’s long-running seize of the impoverished Gaza Strip.

"Israeli siege imposed on the occupied Gaza Strip, including the closure of border crossings and the cutting of the supply of fuel, food and medicine constitutes collective punishment of Palestinian civilians," reads the text.

Israel has been closing the Gaza Strip's exits to the outside world since Hamas took control of the territory in June 2007.

It has completely locked down the area since January, banning food and fuel shipment supplies.