Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank amount to a war crime, a UN official said today, calling on countries to make clear to Israel that its “illegal occupation” cannot be cost-free, Reuters reported.
Michael Lynk, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, was addressing a session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, boycotted by Israel which does not recognize his mandate or cooperate with him.
BREAKING:
Reports are coming in that @UN_HRC, Michael Lynk, @UN special rapporteur, formally reported this morning that “Israeli settlements do amount to a war crime…and (Israel’s) illegal occupation, can & will no longer be cost free.” pic.twitter.com/zHFbWbuy0G— Palestine Deep Dive (@PDeepdive) July 9, 2021
“I conclude that the Israeli settlements do amount to a war crime,” Lynk said.
“I submit to you that this finding compels the international community…to make it clear to Israel that its illegal occupation, and its defiance of international law and international opinion, can and will no longer be cost-free.”
Calling things by their name! UN Human Rights Council Rapporteur on Palestine, Michael Lynk, clearly seeks int'l accountability for #IsraeliCrimes. #FreePalestine. 🙏
Israeli settlements amount to war crime – U.N. rights expert https://t.co/lMHiQUNmeT— Hanan Ashrawi (@DrHananAshrawi) July 9, 2021
Lynk has previously called out Israel’s use of collective punishment, which he said can be “most strikingly seen” in its ongoing 15-year closure of Gaza, “which now suffers from a completely collapsed economy, devastated infrastructure and a barely functioning social service system.”
He also emphasized Israel’s reliance on collective punishment as a “prominent instrument in its coercive toolbox of population control”, criticizing Israel’s continued policy to punitively demolish Palestinian homes, which he states “contribute to an atmosphere of hate and vengeance.”
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
