GENEVA, 9 April 2004 — The United Nations top human rights body yesterday overwhelmingly endorsed the Palestinians’ right to an independent state, brushing aside Israeli warnings that the move could undermine the peace process.
Only the United States voted against the resolution brought by a group of Middle Eastern states in the UN Human Rights Commission, arguing that the issue should be left to the peace process. But the rest of the commission, including European Union states, voted in favor of the text, which “reaffirms the inalienable, permanent and unqualified right of the Palestinian people to self-determination” and their right to a “sovereign independent state”.
Israel is a not a member of the 53-country assembly but was allowed to respond. “Israel respects the right of its neighbors, the Arab states and the Palestinians, to self-determination. It expects equal and mutual recognition,” ambassador Yaakov Levy told the commission.
The resolution “will only undermine the attempts to reach a successful conclusion of ... negotiations,” he added. A similar resolution on Palestinian self-determination has been put forward and approved for several successive years at the annual meeting.
The UN also said it will host an international meeting next week to assess the impact of the barrier Israel is building in the West Bank. Government representatives have been invited to the two-day meeting from April 15 which is due to be attended by Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei.
Most of the participants scheduled so far are academics, campaigners, aid and human rights experts, including Israelis and Palestinians, who will examine the social, humanitarian, legal and political implications of the fence. The International Court of Justice in The Hague is currently examining the legality of the barrier.
The Israeli government has pledged to finish the 100-kilometre stretch of the barrier between east Jerusalem and the West Bank by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath predicted yesterday that the resistance movement Hamas would call a cease-fire once Israel implements its pledge to withdraw from the Gaza Strip. “Our hope is that once there is a withdrawal from Gaza there will be a real cease-fire,” Shaath told Israeli public radio. Hamas “will be fully committed” to respecting such a ceasefire while the Palestinian security forces “will punish violators without going to total war”.
Shaath also confirmed that “discussions were taking place” about the possible integration of Hamas into the Palestinian Authority. Arafat told the latest edition of the German weekly Focus that he wanted Hamas to be brought into the Palestinian Authority, which is currently dominated by his Fatah movement.
