The Director of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), Mr. Raji Sourani, met today with the European Union Representative to Palestine, Mr. Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, and his team to discuss the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
The two sides discussed the recent Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip between 5 and 7 August 2022, which resulted in the killing of 19 Palestinian civilians and the wounding of 159 others, and stressed on the need for accountability for the crimes committed during the operation. Earlier today, Mr. Burgsdorff and his team conducted a visit along with PCHR staff to the families of the five children, who were brutally targeted and killed by Israeli warplanes on the 7th of August while they were visiting their grandfather's grave in al-Falouja cemetery in Jabalya, north of the Gaza Strip. Mr. Burgsdorff expressed his shock concerning their killing and stressed on the importance of the International Criminal Court conducting an investigation into this "war crime". Mr. Burgsdorff and his team also visited Al-Amour family house, where Donyana Adnan Al-Amour (22) was killed by an Israeli missile on the 5th of August 2022.
Mr. Burgsdorff said that his visit to PCHR's head office in Gaza aims to show the European Union's respect and support to the work of the PCHR and importance of a having a vibrant civil society in Palestine. He said that the EU rejects the Israeli designation of six Palestinian civil society organizations as "terrorist organizations".
From his side, Mr. Sourani, thanked Mr. Burgsdorff and his team for the EU’s continued support to the work of PCHR including on accountability, and stressed on the importance of developing further cooperation and deepening the partnership. Mr. Sourani also expressed his deep appreciation for the EU’s strong show of support and solidarity with the seven Palestinian civil society organizations which were raided and closed by the Israeli occupation forces on the 18th of August 2022 and underscored the importance of defending Palestinian human rights organizations during this difficult time.
Mr. Sourani also informed the delegation of the latest developments related to the ICC’s investigation into the situation in the state of Palestine and called on the EU to support the Palestinian efforts to achieve accountability at the ICC.