Geneva, Dec 12
United Nations (UN) human rights experts condemned the US for its "double standards" in addressing violations of international law in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, urging an end to impunity for both Israel and its supporters.
At a press conference in Geneva, four experts, who serve as Special Rapporteurs to the UN Human Rights Council, urged the international community to hold Israel accountable for alleged violations of international law, including disproportionate violence, humanitarian blockades, and settlement expansion in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, news agency reported.
Margaret Satterthwaite, Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, criticised the US government for undermining the International Criminal Court with "outrageous" threats and stressed the need for international justice to be equitably applied to all.
"It's time to end the double standards," Satterthwaite said.
Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, cited high civilian casualties and attacks on UN personnel as evidence of systemic violations by Israel, facilitated by a lack of international accountability.