The European Palestinian Council for Political Relations – EUPAC
Brussels 23/07/2023
On 20 July 2023 at 11 am, the European Parliament in Brussels hosted the High Commissioner of the United Nations for Human Rights, Mr. Volker Türk, in a two-hour dialogue event with MEPs and representatives of the European political groups, with the presence of the European Commission.
Almost all cases of human rights abuses were given attention in the discussion, except for the flagrant violations by Israel of Palestinians’ human rights.
The High Commissioner made prolonged statements about protecting the rights of refugees while ignoring the rights of more than five million Palestinians who have been forced into exile as a result of the ongoing Nakba, perpetrated by Israel since 1948.
Mr Türk expressed solidarity with the persecuted journalists in the world, but he did not mention the fifty Palestinian journalists who have been killed by the occupation forces since 2000.
Representatives of the seven political groups in the European Parliament crowded to have more time to talk about various issues, and although there was plenty of time available to talk about the crimes of the Israeli occupation and its violations against the Palestinians, but there was not enough desire to do so in this closing event of the European Parliamentary season.
High Commissioner Volker Türk mentioned the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the United Nations on the tenth of December 1948,
We remind him of another auspicious 75th year memorial – the date of the expulsion of the Palestinian people from their homes, and the continued denial of their rights and self-determination.
The Nakba remains the real measure of the International Community’s commitment to UDHR.
In turn, EUPAC will send a letter requesting an explanation from Mr. Volker for this deliberate marginalization of the suffering of the Palestinians and the white washing of Israel’s human rights violations against them.
EUPAC calls on all activists, whether they are diplomats, politicians, human rights advocates, or journalists, to stand up for Palestinian rights and to demand that the UN, Western governments and EU Parliament address the issue of the continued violation of Palestinian rights and their silenced suffering under Israeli occupation policies when discussing global human rights.
EUPAC – Brussels 23/07/2023
European Palestinian Council For Political Relations
Head office: Schuman 6, 1040 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32492369558