Wednesday, May 24, 2023. Today at 10:00 a.m. EST/ 5:00 p.m. local time, Gisha Executive Director Tania Hary will address the United Nations Security Council as part of its discussion on The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. Hary was invited to brief the Security Council by the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations, currently presiding as Council President. Her address will be broadcast live on UN Web TV.
In her address, Hary will provide an overview of the severe repercussions of repeated cycles of hostilities and Israel’s closure of Gaza for Palestinians in the region. The sweeping restrictions Israel enforces on movement of people and goods to and from the Strip, tightened to the point of closure in 2007, and the ongoing violence of Israel’s permit regime routinely separate families, block economic development, harm civilian infrastructure and prevent humanitarian access.
In addition, Hary will address Israel’s “separation policy,” used for years as a means of isolating Gaza, ostensibly taking its 2.2 million Palestinian residents out of the ‘demographic equation’ and dividing the Strip from Israel and the West Bank. The policy serves Israel’s goal of maintaining its control over the West Bank and advancing de facto annexation.
The current Israeli government, like those before it, does not acknowledge the responsibility that stems from its ongoing control over access to Gaza and the far-reaching influence it wields over everyday life in the Strip. At the same time, it continues its efforts to delegitimize and silence criticism from human rights and civil society organizations in Israel. In her address, Hary will also emphasize the role of the international community in ensuring protection of Palestinians’ fundamental rights and countering the crime of collective punishment.
The full transcript of Hary’s address is available here.