By Janet Ekstract ISTANBUL- On Thursday, the U.N. released a report demanding an immediate cessation of military weapons during law enforcement operations, an end to arbitrary detention and the unfair and ill treatment of Palestinians. It also called on Israel to lift what it called discriminatory movement restrictions on Palestinians. New reports of Christian Palestinians being beaten, taunted and humiliated have circulated in the mainstream media along with eyewitness accounts of the brutality. To that end, the U.N. has demanded Israel “end unlawful killings” as the deteriorating rights situation in Gaza becomes even worse. U.N, human rights chief Volker Turk in a formal statement said that Israel’s actions are”troubling.” He added: “The intensity of the violence and repression is something has not been seen in years.” The report examined the human rights situation in the occupied West Bank and annexed East Jerusalem since the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion that killed almost 1,200 Israelis.
The report detailed a “sharp increase” in airstrikes and incursions into refugee camps and other densely-populated areas that the report said resulted in “deaths, injuries and extensive damage” to civilian infrastructure. Israel’s continuous bombardment of Gaza has so far killed close to 22,000 civilians, mostly women and children, the Gaza Health Ministry reported. The report also mentioned a “sharp rise in settler attacks” including “shootings, burning of homes and vehicles, and uprooting of trees.” Meanwhile, a number of these settler attack incidents were caught on video and viewed by those watching mainstream media. The U.N. rights chief said Israel must end “settler violence against the Palestinian population, to investigate all incidents of violence by settlers and Israeli security forces, to ensure effective protection of Palestinian communities against any form of forcible transfer, and to ensure the ability of herding communities displaced due to repeated attacks by armed settlers to return to their lands.” The U.N. rights chief also urged the Israeli government to give his office access to Israel for reporting purposes. Despite calls from all sides to at least engage in a humanitarian ceasefire, Israel’s PM Netanyahu has steadfastly refused to back down on continuous bombardment of Gaza. Though Israeli officials assured the Biden administration that they were doing their utmost to protect civilians, the truth is evident in live video footage shot by mainstream media and eyewitnesses.
