US-EU encourage violations of international law, by covering cost of the occupation, without demanding Israeli accountability

Palestinian, Israeli NGOs condemn “donor complicity” in Israeli rights violations

Date: 07 / 05 / 2009 Time: 11:23
Bethlehem - Ma’an -

“By agreeing to reconstruction without specific, binding assurances from the State of Israel, international donors (basically US-EU) are effectively underwriting Israel’s illegal actions in the occupied Palestinian territory,” a report released Thursday by local rights groups said.

The report continued, “International law – including, international human rights law, international humanitarian law (IHL), and the law of state responsibility for wrongful acts – places specific, binding obligations on the State of Israel (based, inter alia, on its duties as an Occupying Power) with respect to the maintenance and development of normal life in occupied territory. By repeatedly restricting their action to providing aid, without holding Israel accountable for its specific obligations, international donors are relieving Israel of its legally binding responsibilities.”

The report noted that donors, “by repeatedly covering the cost of the occupation, without demanding accountability from Israel,” are “implicitly encouraging violations of international law,” and noted “individual donor States may thus be acting contrary to their own legal obligations.”

The report urged international donors to “demand specific, concrete assurances from the State of Israel.” It also stated that reconstruction aid must be accompanied by “strict conditions and assurances from the State of Israel. Otherwise, the taxpayers of the international community will continue to support an endless cycle of aid-destruction-aid-reconstruction.”

The rights organizations noted that “aid alone cannot resolve the conflict” and urged governments and international organizations to use political action rather than donations to spur peace and justice in the region.

The groups involved in the issuing of the report are::

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR)
Al Dameer Association for Human Rights
Al Haq
Al Mezan
BADIL Resource Centre for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights
Gaza Community Mental Health Program (GCMHP)
Gisha: Legal Center for Freedom of Movement
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD)
ITTIJAH – Union of Arab Community Based Organisations
Physicians for Human Rights – Israel (PHR)
Public Committee against Torture in Israel (PCATI)
Women’s Affairs Centre (WAC)

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