CAIRO: Israeli authorities do not allow the Special Committee to enter the Occupied Territories, said United Nations Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People at a press briefing. Following the Egypt leg of a regional tour that will take them to Jordan and Syria, the committee announced its initial findings in Cairo on Thursday. "They prevent us from seeing the reality, said Prasad Kariyawasam, the chairman of the Special Committee and Sri Lanka's representative to the United Nations in New York. As a result, the Special Committee relies on consultations with witnesses to the human rights situation in the Occupied Territories. Many of the witnesses from Gaza had to be reached by phone as they were prevented from traveling to Cairo. Kariyawasam was careful to note the limitations of the briefing. "The violations of the rights of the Palestinian people are far too numerous to list in a meeting like this, he said. Kariyawasam chose to focus on the situation in Gaza and touch upon human rights abuses occurring in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Describing the Israeli siege as collective punishment, Kariyawasam expressed concern over the drastic worsening of the economic and social situation in the Gaza Strip. "The situation in Gaza has deteriorated to levels we've never seen before.It is an open-air prison for 1.5 million people, he said. While he warned of the immediate and long-term consequences of rising unemployment and poverty levels, fuel and electricity cuts, restrictions on the import of essential goods and restrictions on freedom of movement to and from Gaza, Kariyawasam was especially concerned about the children of Gaza. "What worries the committee most is that 50 percent of Gazans are children. Children are very vulnerable and the situation for children in Gaza is horrible, he said. Pediatricians have told the Special Committee that Gaza's infant mortality rates have increased drastically and are nearly the worst in the region. Moreover, "We worry about reports of psychosomatic symptoms developing among many of Gaza's children, said Kariyawasam. "Children see their fathers humiliated everyday and they are losing hope, it can lead to them turning to extremism. Kariyawasam warned that if future generations of children in Gaza grow up with psychological problems and an affinity for extremism they might present a danger to the region and the world. "The international community must be very careful and deal with the situation of Gaza's children, he said. The Special Committee met with the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and representatives of Arab League and the National Council for Human Rights. "Egyptian authorities are very worried about the situation in the Gaza Strip and they are working very hard to find a solution, said Kariyawasam. The Special Committee appreciated Egyptian officials' efforts in negotiating the recent ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, but is hesitant to express full confidence in the ceasefire's ability to improve human rights in Gaza. "We believe that a ceasefire will ease the situation to an extent, but of course it is only the first step to finding a real solution to the human rights situation in Gaza, said Kariyawasam. Kariyawasam also condemned the Israeli separation wall in the West Bank saying it "violates each and every right of the Palestinian people. He further criticized what he called efforts by Israeli authorities and settlers to change the demography of East Jerusalem in order to hurt its potential as the future capital of a Palestinian state. "We hope the international community will gain enough strength to urge the Israelis to comply with international law so that human rights violations in the Occupied Territories will come to an end, Kariyawasam said. While the Committee has recommended sanctions against Israel in the past, they are inevitably blocked by an American veto. But Kariyawasam remains convinced of the vital role played by the Special Committee. "It doesn't mean that we should stop our work or that the international community is not interested, it means that there is much more work to be done, he said. "We need to keep reminding the world that there is a Palestinian nation and it is suffering under an Israeli occupation. The Special Committee will continue its visit to the region in Jordan and Syria from June 27 to July 5. The report of the Special Committee's field mission will be submitted to the General Assembly at its 63rd session this year.
