Former Prime Minister of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson and her fellow Elders—Graça Machel, Helen Clark and Hina Jilani—returned from a recent fact-finding mission to the West Bank, Israel, Lebanon and Jordan with grave concerns. “I arrived at a clear conclusion,” Mary Robinson writes: “the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aims to make Palestine disappear physically, economically, culturally and politically.”
Dr. Robinson describes visiting the Palestinian village of Deir Nidham, “whose inhabitants are subject to continuous harassment by violent settlers, with the support of the Israeli army.” Israeli flags lined the road into the village, “an intentional and threatening claim of ownership in what is internationally recognised as Palestinian territory.”
“This is happening on our watch. The lack of accountability that has allowed Israel to act in this way is unconscionable. The impunity must be stopped.”
Peter Larson, Chair of the Ottawa Forum on Israel Palestine, urged Ms. Robinson and The Elders to work for “democracy, equality and human rights for all as an essential element in a peaceful future for both Palestinians and Israelis.” Mary Robinson’s report can be found here.