Michael Lynk, the UN’s Special Rapporteur for the situation of human rights in occupied Palestinian territories, has presented a groundbreaking new report. According to the report, Israel operates as a state of racial segregation. Lynk’s findings will be submitted to the United Nations Committee responsible for ensuring the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. The report will also be considered at an upcoming hearing at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, as reported by Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
Lynk, who is stepping down after seven years in his role, termed the report “one of the most comprehensive ever released by the UN on the subject of occupation, decolonization, and self-determination.” Lynk pointed out in the report that Israel is in violation of international law, annexing occupied territories, and engaging in racial segregation practices.
Pedro Pedrosa, a Cuban representative on the aforementioned committee, stated, “It’s ethnic cleansing. We’re acting as if it’s business as usual… The UN isn’t speaking about what’s happening in Palestinian territories, and the Security Council isn’t talking about what’s happening.”
Pedrosa criticized New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ recent visit to Israel, accusing him of overlooking the Palestinian people’s plight. He claimed that Adams “is all over social media but doesn’t utter a word about the denial of rights to the Palestinian people.”
This new report is part of a series of recent UN reports criticizing Israel. In October last year, the UN Human Rights Council’s Investigative Committee published a report that concluded Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories was illegal under international law. In addition, Israel’s actions could be considered a war crime under international law. Moreover, a similar report was presented by a special UN Human Rights Committee on Palestinian territories in March 2022, which concluded that the situation in Israel and the occupied territories amounts to racial segregation.
This adds more complexity to an already fraught relationship between Israel, the UN, and the global community regarding the Israel-Palestine issue, further drawing international attention to human rights violations in the region.
