NAM to press action against Israeli war crimes

Kuala Lumpur - Leaders of over 100 developing countries holding their two-day summit here from tomorrow are expected to press for action, including by the International Criminal Court, against war crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinians in their occupied territories.

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) leaders are also expected to strongly condemn human rights violations by occupying Israeli forces against the Palestinians, especially the killing of civilians, extrajudicial executions, wanton destruction of homes, infrastructure and agricultural lands.

Conference sources said the summit was taking place amidst a dire humanitarian crisis in the occupied territories due to the continued destruction of Palestinian society and the Palestinian Authority by Israeli forces since September 2000.

Israel had reportedly imposed collective punishments on the entire Palestinian population, including imposing severe restrictions on the movements of people and goods, resulting in their socio-economic debilitation.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will not be here for the summit despite intense diplomatic efforts, especially by host Malaysia, to get him to come in the face of continued obstruction by Israel on his personal movement.

The sources said that while regretting Arafat's absence, the leaders were expected to express their solidarity with him as the elected leader and symbol of the struggle of the Palestinian people.

They would also express support for the necessary international presence in the occupied Palestinian terrritory to provide protection for the civilian population, while asking the United Nations Security Council to fulfil its responsibilities towards the question of Palestine and the situation in West Asia.

Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) legal advisor Michael Tarazi told reporters here earlier this week that over 2,000 Palestinians, mostly below the age of 17, had been killed by Israeli forces in the past two years in the occupied territories.

Other issues expected to feature in the leaders' statement on Palestine were Israel's confiscation of Palestinian lands and buildings and the transfer of Israeli nationals to the occupied territory.

In their view, this policy of "settler colonialism" is the main danger to achieving a peaceful solution to the Palestinian conflict and must be immediately stopped and reversed. -- Bernama News

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