Dr. Ashrawi: “By nominating Israel to chair the UNGA Sixth Committee, the Western European and Others Group is asking the wolf to guard the sheep”
Commenting on the Western European and Others Group’s (WEOG) decision to nominate Israel for the chairmanship of the UN General Assembly Sixth Committee, PLO Executive Committee Member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi condemned the move and said:
“It is ironic that Israel, a state that continues to breach international law and conventions, international humanitarian law and countless UN resolutions, is being nominated to head a legal committee that aims to promote international law and protect basic human rights and freedoms.
With such a decision, the WEOG is making a mockery of the international legal system and rewarding Israel for its flagrant violations of international law and acts of collective punishment and violence, including Israel’s continued theft of Palestinian land and resources, the expansion of its illegal settlement enterprise, the demolition and ethnic cleansing of entire Palestinian communities and villages, the use of live ammunition and the extra-judicial killing of innocent Palestinians, the revocation of Jerusalem IDs, and the increasing use of administration detention against Palestinian men, women and children.
We call on the WEOG to do what is right, withdraw its nomination of Israel for the chairmanship of the UN General Assembly Sixth Committee, and hold it accountable for its persistent violations of international law and human rights. As a people under occupation, we will remain steadfast and undeterred in our efforts to pursue all diplomatic and legal channels to counter Israeli violations and safeguard our people’s right to self-determination, justice and freedom.”
______