UN Investigation Committee Hears Testimony in Jordan

The investigation committee of the UN Human Rights Council has listened to testimonies of victims’ families and civil society organizations, the representative of Palestine to the HRC said Saturday.

Speaking to Ma’an, Ibrahim Khreisha said the committee, which has been tasked to investigate possible crimes by Israeli forces in the Palestinian territory, spent a week in Jordan after Israel denied its members entry to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

In Jordan, he said, the committee members listened to testimonies given by families of Palestinian victims, representatives of Palestinian civil society organizations and UN officials based in the Palestinian territory.

The committee consists of 15 human rights experts, investigators and technical teams. Experts will each return to his or her country, while the technical team will head to Geneva where they will study the testimonies collected in Jordan.

Khreisha denounced Israel for denying the committee members entry to Palestine and added that he considered it another Israeli violation of Palestinian rights.

The committee will use videoconference technology this week to listen to testimonies of as many bereaved Gaza families as possible. The team was supposed to enter the Gaza Strip via Egypt, but the security conditions in Sinai Peninsula have prevented that, added Khreisha. He said that the team is scheduled to visit Gaza in January.

The investigation committee is required to submit its final report to be discussed during the regular session which starts on March 1, 2015.

“Only representatives of Palestine and Israel would be allowed to see the final report 48 hours before it’s submitted to the regular session,” Khreisha added.

He said that the report would be different in form and specifications from the so-called Goldstone report of 2009 as the new report will include possible Israeli crimes from Jun 16, 2014 until the day the report is submitted.

(Ma’an – www.maannews.net)

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