Speaking on behalf of Arab states, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Abdul Ilah Khatib, demanded on Wednesday immediate international protection for Palestinians under Israeli occupation at a controversial conference held in Geneva on the Jewish state's handling of human rights in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Khatib was quoted by the Jordan Times as saying “the latest Israeli measures against the Palestinians had to stop immediately as any further escalation would only trigger reprisals and hinder the Palestinian National Authority's ability to maintain law and order in areas under its control.”
“In light of the serious Israeli escalation and bombardment of Palestinian installations in the West Bank and Gaza, we reiterate our call for providing necessary protection for the occupied Palestinian people without further delay,” Khatib told the one-day Geneva meeting of signatory states to the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention.
Khatib highlighted in his keynote speech the recent deterioration in Palestine which was seen by targeting the Palestinian Authority and its installations which not only causes a serious weakening in the conditions of the Palestinian people and further exacerbates the situation, but also hampers the authority's ability to prevent acts of violence,” he said at the meeting, held at the request of Arab states.
Israel and the United States boycotted the meeting, which reaffirmed that the international pact on protecting civilians in armed conflict applied to the territories seized by Israel during the 1967 Middle East war, said the Amman-based paper.
Khatib emphasized that the only way to make the two sides live in peace is to activate Tenet ceasefire agreement and the Mitchell Committee recommendations, which have been accepted by Israel and the Palestinians – Albawaba.com
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