Human Rights Council

Statement by Ambassador Warren W. Tichenor
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights
in the Palestinian Territories Occupied Since 1967

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Thank you, Mr. President.

We thank the Special Rapporteur for his work.

We must, however, disagree with his suggestion that the Roadmap is “hopelessly out of date.” The Roadmap calls for a two-state solution – Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security – and remains the only international peace plan endorsed by the parties themselves.

It imposes obligations on both Israel and the Palestinians. Israel must dismantle settlement outposts erected since March 2001 and freeze settlement activity. The Palestinians must renounce violence and terror, dismantle terrorist infrastructure, and prevent terror attacks. This includes the countless Palestinian rocket attacks into Israel following Israel’s Gaza withdrawal.

We have also joined with our Quartet partners to call on the parties to fully implement their respective obligations under the Agreement on Movement and Access.

The Report also discusses the International Court of Justice’s recent advisory opinion. In our view this advisory opinion was not a useful contribution to parties’ efforts to resolve their differences. Nevertheless, we have constantly called on Israel, in determining the route of the separation barrier, to take into account the humanitarian and economic impact on Palestinians, as we continue to urge both parties to consider the broader implications of their actions on the ground and to avoid actions that could prejudice final status issues that should be decided through negotiations.

Mr. President, in a Council which seeks to reduce selectivity and double-standards, the United States strongly urges our colleagues to consider this issue in its proper context, not from a one-sided perspective which may satisfy the political exigencies of the moment, but does nothing to improve the lives of Palestinians or Israelis.


I thank you, Mr. President.