RAMALLAH, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates today urged the UN Human Rights Council to uphold its responsibility and act against “Israel’s bullying of Palestinian citizens and international solidarity activists.”
The Foreign Ministry’s statement came in the aftermath of a damning report by Israeli daily Haaretz which said that Israeli soldiers operating in the occupied West Bank have been collecting personal information about human rights activists from Europe, citing a footage obtained by anti-occupation group Breaking the Silence.
The footage taken in the South Hebron Hills depicts soldiers discussing the Blue Wolf surveillance system that is used to monitor Palestinians, with reference to foreign activists.
In the footage, the security coordinator of a local settlement can be heard telling the soldiers, “The brigade commander told me it’s very important to get pictures of their faces,” referring to the faces of left-wing and foreign human rights activists.
The Foreign Ministry urged human rights organizations to document this Israeli practice for latter reference to the relevant UN bodies, especially the Human Rights Council, saying the practice is a flagrant violation of the principles of human rights and international humanitarian law.
It described the Israeli military’s collecting of personal information about human rights activists as “a blatant violation of the basic humanitarian nature of mankind” and an aggression on the Palestinian people and their suporters.
Source: Palestine News And Info Agency