[News] Calls for Immediate Action by International Community on Israel’s “Regularization” Law

[Anti-Imperialist News]

http://www.addameer.org/news/phroc-calls-immediate-action-international-community-israel%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Cregularization%E2%80%9D-law 



  PHROC Calls for Immediate Action by International Community on
  Israel’s “Regularization” Law

09 February 2017

The Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council (PHROC) strongly 
condemns the Israeli Knesset’s passage of the “Regularization Law,” 
which legalizes 4,000 housing units in 55 colonial outposts, built on 
private Palestinian land. While Israel’s appropriation of Palestinian 
land has been a cornerstone of government policy since the beginning of 
the occupation in 1967, the law is another brazen tool for Israel to 
confiscate privately held and registered Palestinian property for its 
illegal settlement enterprise.

Members of Israel’s governing Likud party, including Miri Regev, 
Israel’s Culture and Sport Minister, stated that the passage of the law 
was “a historic move” toward annexing the West Bank. She stated, “[t]his 
is the first step towards complete regulation, namely, applying Israeli 
sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.”[1] 
<about:reader?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addameer.org%2Fnews%2Fphroc-calls-immediate-action-international-community-israel%25E2%2580%2599s-%25E2%2580%259Cregularization%25E2%2580%259D-law#_ftn1> 
Before the bill was passed into law, Naftali Bennett, leader of the 
Jewish Home (HabayitHayehudi) party and Israel’s Education Minister, 
considered it as "[a] first step away from the two-state solution 
towards annexing the West Bank and practicing sovereignty over land but 
not its inhabitants."[2] 
<about:reader?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addameer.org%2Fnews%2Fphroc-calls-immediate-action-international-community-israel%25E2%2580%2599s-%25E2%2580%259Cregularization%25E2%2580%259D-law#_ftn2> 
The Jewish Home party has also introduced another controversial bill 
that would annex the illegal colonial bloc of Ma’aleAdumim and the area 
referred to as E1, which is currently home to over 8,000 Bedouins who 
are under threat of forced transfer.[3] 
<about:reader?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addameer.org%2Fnews%2Fphroc-calls-immediate-action-international-community-israel%25E2%2580%2599s-%25E2%2580%259Cregularization%25E2%2580%259D-law#_ftn3> 
Such statements and actions reflect Israel’s overarching and systematic 
policies aimed at colonizing and illegally annexing the Occupied 
Palestinian territory (OPT), in violation of international law.

This law comes after the United Nations Security Council passed 
Resolution 2334 (2106), reiterating that the establishment of 
settlements by Israel in the OPT, including East Jerusalem, “has no 
legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation of international 
law.” The Resolution also called upon Israel to “immediately and 
completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian 
territory, including East Jerusalem.” Rather than comply with the 
resolution, Israel approved the construction of 6,000 new housing units 
in the OPT immediately following its passing.

The UN resolution reflects basic principles of international law, which 
are contravened in the “Regularization” Law. International humanitarian 
law includes prohibitions against the confiscation or destruction of 
private property[4] 
<about:reader?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addameer.org%2Fnews%2Fphroc-calls-immediate-action-international-community-israel%25E2%2580%2599s-%25E2%2580%259Cregularization%25E2%2580%259D-law#_ftn4> 
and prohibitions against pillage.[5] 
<about:reader?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addameer.org%2Fnews%2Fphroc-calls-immediate-action-international-community-israel%25E2%2580%2599s-%25E2%2580%259Cregularization%25E2%2580%259D-law#_ftn5>

The “extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified 
by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly” is a 
grave breach under the Fourth Geneva Convention and is also considered a 
war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. 
Israel’s transfer of settlers into the oPtas well as forcible transfer 
of Palestinians within the oPt are also prohibited under Article 49 of 
the Fourth Geneva Convention and constitute grave breaches under article 
147 and a war crime and/or crime against humanity under Article 7 and 
Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court

PHROC and others have repeatedly called upon the international community 
to abide by their international obligations and hold Israel accountable 
for its continuous violations of international law. We reiterate this 
call and urge the UN and third states to act immediately by imposing 
sanctions against Israel and taking all measures within their control to 
ensure the protection of fundamental Palestinian rights. After 50-years 
of occupation and as Israel’s actions become increasingly brazen, the 
world should no longer turn a blind eye to Israel’s colonization of 
Palestine and its impact on Palestinian lives.

*-End-*


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[1] 
<about:reader?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addameer.org%2Fnews%2Fphroc-calls-immediate-action-international-community-israel%25E2%2580%2599s-%25E2%2580%259Cregularization%25E2%2580%259D-law#_ftnref1> 
Andrew Carey and EmanuellaGrinburg, /Israel’s Parliament Passes West 
Bank Outposts Bill, /CNN, 7 February 2017, /available at 
/http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/06/middleeast/israel-knesset-west-bank-outposts-bill/

[2] 
<about:reader?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addameer.org%2Fnews%2Fphroc-calls-immediate-action-international-community-israel%25E2%2580%2599s-%25E2%2580%259Cregularization%25E2%2580%259D-law#_ftnref2>/Id./

[3] 
<about:reader?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addameer.org%2Fnews%2Fphroc-calls-immediate-action-international-community-israel%25E2%2580%2599s-%25E2%2580%259Cregularization%25E2%2580%259D-law#_ftnref3> 
Notably, this law was passed against the backdrop of an unprecedented 
demolition campaign by Israeli forces in East Jerusalem and Area C, 
resulting in the forced displacement of thousands of Palestinians. More 
specifically, during 2016, Israel demolished 575 Palestinian structures 
displacing 1,681 people.

[4] 
<about:reader?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addameer.org%2Fnews%2Fphroc-calls-immediate-action-international-community-israel%25E2%2580%2599s-%25E2%2580%259Cregularization%25E2%2580%259D-law#_ftnref4> 
Article 46 of Hague Regulations, Article 53 of Fourth Geneva Convention 
and Rule 51 of International Customary Law

[5] 
<about:reader?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addameer.org%2Fnews%2Fphroc-calls-immediate-action-international-community-israel%25E2%2580%2599s-%25E2%2580%259Cregularization%25E2%2580%259D-law#_ftnref5> 
Article 47 of Hague Regulations.

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