PA to ask UNSC for protection from Israeli war crimes

The Palestinian Authority plans to ask for international protection from Israeli war crimes at Friday afternoon’s informal meeting of the UN Security Council in New York.

The document presented to the council in preparation for the meeting states, “For nearly 50 years, since Israel occupied the West Bank, including east Al-Quds('Jerusalem'), and the Gaza Strip in 1967, the Palestinian civilian population has endured systematic human rights violations, and even war crimes, by the occupying power.”

It further states that “the international community, foremost the Security Council, continues to fail to hold Israel accountable and to compel a halt to its violations and compliance with its legal obligations.”

Council members Egypt, Malaysia, Senegal and Venezuela will chair the meeting.

International protection and Israeli illegal settlement building are the two issues the Palestinians have pushed the Security Council to address this year.