Geneva, SANA – Syria’s permanent Envoy to the UN in Geneva Hussam al-Din Ala said that Israel still obstructs mission of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights in occupied lands and prevents it from reaching the occupied territories, and goes ahead in its endeavors to consolidate its occupation and apply its systemized settlement plans.
In a statement before the committee made on Monday, Ambassador Ala stressed that Israel is confiscating lands, stealing water and illegally extracting natural resources in the occupied Syrian Golan.
He said the decision of the international community to form this committee a year after the Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan and other Arab territories in 1967, was a clear message that the international community rejects this occupation, but Israel continued to challenge the will of the international community and refused to put an end to its occupation and has been working for many years to strengthen its occupation of these lands under the nose of the international community through violating the international laws and preventing the legal land owners from their basic rights.
Ala highlighted that Israel has been politically shielded by some permanent UN Security Council members who prevented the council from condemning Israeli occupation forces for failure to comply with the related UN resolutions.
“Israel continues to violate all resolutions adopted by the UN and UNSC, including resolutions No. 446 for the year 1979, No. 465 for the year 1980 and hundreds of other resolutions made by the UN, UNSC, Human rights Council and the UN General Assembly,” Ala said, adding that Israel has confiscated thousands of acres of Golan lands to perpetrate a settlement project that aims at making 750 new farms.
He said that according to data obtained by the Syrian authorities, Israel is bringing about 1,000 immigrants to the Syrian Golan every year, and is planning to increase number of settlers in Golan to 23,000 during the next five years, adding that the Israeli forces have been promising these immigrants with financial rewards in return for settling in the Golan.
He said Israel also ratified plans to build 380 new housing units in the occupied Syrian Golan and decided to carry on expansion work on other settlements, pointing out that Israel is exporting water bottles taken from the Golan to 18 European countries and has started oil exploration in 10 sites in a clear violation of the International Human Law and the UNSC resolution No. 497 for the year 1981 and the resolution of UNGA No. 69/241.
Israeli occupation forces are continuing violations of Human Rights in the Occupied Golan, particularly by arbitrary detention of POW , re-detaining some of them including Besher al-Maqet after he spent 27 years in Israeli jails, Ambassador Ala confirmed.
Syria’s envoy added that Israeli forces has recently detained tens of Syrians in occupied Golan on charges of unmasking Israeli role in supporting terrorism and providing medical treatment to terrorists being injured in Syria.
Syria’s envoy called for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained Syrians from the Israeli prisons and detention centers, pointing out that Israel added a new dangerous violation to its practices by supporting terrorist groups, which are based in disengagement area following the withdrawal of UNDOF from it, and by conducting military aggressions many times in support of those groups in a clear and sound violation of the international law and Disengagement Agreement.
Ambassador Ala renewed Syria’s readiness to ccoperate with the commission, pointing out the importance of committee’s visit to Syria to document Israeli practices by information and statements from Syrian citizen of the Occupied Golan who suffered from the Israeli practices which prevented them from returning home and communicate with their own families and relatives in the Occupied Golan.
M. Nassr/ Barry
