Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Saeb Erekat has urged the United Nations to list Israel as a state that "violates children's rights" in its annual report on children and armed conflict.
This is a necessary step, said Erekat, as the United Nations have many pieces of evidence on Israel's targeting of Palestinian children in addition to the report submitted by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on this issue on August 14, 2018.
He said that the report was a step in line with “our urgent request for international protection for the Palestinians."
This came in an official letter sent by Erekat to Guterres on Monday, condemning Israel’s targeting of the innocent Palestinian children by assassinations and direct sniping.
"From reports you have received from UN agencies working in occupied Palestine and through our bilateral channels, it becomes evident that Israel, as an occupying power, continues its grave violations of its obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention and other treaties, including UN Convention on Right of the Child," the letter said.
Last Friday, Israeli snipers shot Abdel Nasser Musabeh, 12 years old, and Mohammad al-Hoom, 14 years old, while they were standing hundreds of meters away from the Israeli forces deployed in Gaza Strip, according to the letter.
"Mohammad and Nasser were the last Palestinian children killed by the Israeli army, but they are not the last victims of the military occupation," Erekat stressed.
The senior PLO official accused Israel of violating children's rights, including murdering and maiming of children, abduction of children, attacks against schools and hospitals and denial of humanitarian access for children.
He also reiterated the demand for international protection for the Palestinian civilians, adding that over 350 Palestinian children are currently jailed in Israel.
Erekat said that Israel's special membership in the organization, through UN General Assembly Resolution 273, was conditioned by Israel's commitment to respect the Charter of the United Nations and the implementation of its resolutions, including General Assembly resolutions 181 and 194.
“The culture of impunity in Israel has allowed it to continue to violate its obligations for more than 70 years," the letter stressed.
