NCHR says it ‘vigilantly’ monitors Israel’s systemic violations of human rights against Palestinians

AMMAN – The National Centre for Human Rights (NCHR) has said that it is “vigilantly” monitoring the recent events in the State of Palestine, specifically the Gaza Strip, in light of the Israeli attacks on civilians that commenced on October 7.

The NCHR’s ongoing efforts focus on crafting consistent human rights positions in the face of systemic violations of human rights against the Palestinian populace. These violations have profound ramifications for the overarching concepts of comprehensive security, peace and stability in the Middle East and the wider global context, said a statement from the centre.

The board of trustees of the NCHR convened an emergency meeting on Saturday to coordinate endeavours within the framework of human rights mechanisms at regional and international levels.

The NCHR participated in the meeting of the Arab Network of National Human Rights Institutions on October 11, 2023, with the objective of coordinating efforts and actions within established human rights mechanisms to contribute to ending the conflict in the Gaza Strip and the associated grave human rights infringements.

The NCHR has also decided to establish an "operations room" to monitor developments within the territory of the State of Palestine and the Gaza Strip. 

Furthermore, the centre established a field monitoring team tasked with overseeing the expressions of solidarity occurring in various governorates within the Kingdom, as a legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of expression. This is a legitimate way to shed light on the systemic violations in the Gaza Strip, in addition to observing government measures taken in response to all forms of freedom of expression and peaceful gatherings that denounce the actions of the Israeli authorities as an occupying force, the statement said.

The NCHR affirmed the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, in accordance with one of the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter. It urged the international community to take immediate and effective measures to enforce the provisions of international law that mandate the immediate cessation of brutal attacks on the Gaza Strip, characterised as war crimes and crimes against humanity, constituting violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

The centre implored the international community, as well as all media outlets and influencers, to maintain neutrality and objectivity in their analysis of the events unfolding in the Gaza Strip, and to present the facts grounded in their legal foundations. 

The NCHR cautioned against the long-term strategy of the occupying authorities, which involves the forced displacement and exile of Palestinians. This strategy aims at depopulating the land and establishing settlements through a series of violent measures characterized by ethnic cleansing. These measures are considered core tenets of the policies of the occupying authorities under Israel's Jewish Nation-State Law. They involve the killing of civilians, genocidal acts, displacement, demolition of residences and property, collective punishment, etc., in addition to assaults on journalists and their right to protection, as established under the Third Geneva Convention and the First Additional Protocol appended to the Geneva Conventions of 1977, the statement said.

The direct and deliberate targeting of journalists is tantamount to obstructing the truth, constituting a war crime, and destroying private, immovable and movable property, the NCHR said. The attacks occurring near the Jordanian field hospital in the Gaza Strip, the disruption of the supply of medical supplies, and the endangerment of its staff have led to the closure of the hospital and its inability to fulfill its humanitarian mission, continued the statement.

The NCHR commended the diplomatic endeavours led by His Majesty King Abdullah to bring an end to the ongoing attacks and violations. 

The centre called for immediate intervention by the international community to deter the occupying state and halt the atrocities committed against civilians in Gaza. 

It urged the implementation of measures to cease the unjustifiable attacks on the civilians in the Gaza Strip, in adherence to the tenets of international humanitarian law, notably the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, which guarantees the protection of civilians in occupied territories. 

Additionally, the NCHR emphasised the need to facilitate humanitarian corridors for the delivery of medical and relief aid into the Gaza Strip and to provide electricity and water.