Ref: 31/2009
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) testified before the United Nations Human Rights Council Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Strip, which held meetings in Jordan between 1 July and 3 July 2009.
On Thursday, 02 July 2009, Mr. Sameeh Mohsen, Coordinator of PCHR's office in the West Bank, presented a 75-minute testimony on behalf of PCHR before the United Nations Human Rights Council Fact-Finding Mission. In the beginning of the hearing session, Justice Richard Goldstone, Head of the Mission, welcomed PCHR's testimony and stated that he met with a number of PCHR's staff members during the Mission's visit to the Gaza Strip. He further appreciated efforts made by PCHR to gather information, affidavits and documents on the Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip. He also thanked PCHR for the documents and information provided to the Mission.
In the beginning of his testimony, Mr. Mohsen expressed PCHR's appreciation regarding the establishment of the Mission, and conveyed PCHR's Director's apology for not attending the session as he was unable to travel out of the Gaza Strip. Mr. Mohsen asserted that the Palestinian people are expecting the Mission to disclose the reality of what happened in the Gaza Strip in the period 27 December 2008 - 18 January 2009. He then highlighted the outcome of the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, including PCHR's statistics with regard to deaths and their classification, the destruction of civilian facilities, and the impacts of the offensive and the continued siege imposed on the Gaza Strip on all aspects of life of the Palestinian civilian population.
Members of the Mission asked a number of questions about the standards on which PCHR relied on when not categorizing police officers as combatants; continued attacks against fishermen, interrogation of patients who travel through Erez crossing; environmental impacts of the Israeli offensive; kinds of food allowed into the Gaza Strip by Israel; protests by Palestinians in the West Bank against the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip and the responses of Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) and the Palestinian National Authority; and concerns of Palestinians living in the West Bank of a possible similar offensive against the territory.
During its visit to the Gaza Strip PCHR provided the Mission with detailed testimonies and legal documents. PCHR lawyers briefed members of the Mission on all serious human rights violations perpetrated by IOF during and after the offensive on the Gaza Strip during a hearing session held at UNRWA's headquarters in Gaza. Members of the Mission also visited PCHR's offices and met with Director of PCHR, Mr. Raji Sourani, and other PCHR's staff. Mr. Sourani was supposed to provide a testimony before the Mission in Amman, but he was not able to travel out of the Gaza Strip in spite of repeated attempts.
The United Nations Human Rights Council Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Strip is headed by Justice Richard Goldstone, former chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. The Mission also includes Professor Christine Chinkin, Professor of International Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Ms. Hina Jilani, Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and former Special Representative of the Secretary General on Human Rights Defenders; and Colonel Desmond Travers, a former officer in the Irish Armed Forces and member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for International Criminal Investigations.
Public Document
For more information: please call
PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 - 2825893
PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail:
pchr@pchrgaza.org,
Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org