A/HRC/28/45 III. Violations and abuses by all duty bearers as drivers of violence and conflict A. Introduction 7. The period covered by the present report spans yet another deterioration of the conflict, with increased levels of violence and widespread violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. That deterioration was not confined to the Gaza Strip, where an escalation in hostilities in July and August 2014 led to unprecedented, but all too familiar, destruction and bloodshed. It extended also to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which saw its bloodiest year for many years and a resumption of some of the harshest policies of the Israeli occupation. 8. Although the violations by all duty bearers documented by OHCHR reached levels not seen for some years, they were not new. The population in the Occupied Palestinian Territory has been subjected to those same violations to varying degrees since the beginning of the occupation in 1967, with the situation seemingly locked into an endless succession of violations, violence and impunity. Human rights violations are not just a symptom of the conflict; they drive it in an ever-worsening cycle of violence. 9. That cycle must be ended. As has been repeatedly highlighted, for there to be an enduring peace, the root causes of the conflict must be addressed. These include ending the occupation and addressing the legitimate security concerns of Israel.2 At the same time, there can be no meaningful peace unless human rights are placed at the centre of the process. Understanding the link acknowledged in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 3 between human rights and peace and security is essential. The former High Commissioner for Human Rights recently described how numerous conflicts had “built up over years — and sometimes decades — of human rights grievances”. 4 The Security Council has highlighted that any comprehensive approach to conflict prevention includes strengthening “respect for, and protection of, human rights”.5 Ending the cycle of conflict and violence means addressing past, present and future violations of human rights. 10. The Security Council has also stressed “the importance of accountability in preventing future conflicts, avoiding the recurrence of serious violations of international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights law” and ensuring an end to impunity for such violations. 6 Alongside accountability, other efforts to address the current human rights situation are needed. The Secretary-General, in his Human Rights Up Front initiative, has suggested that human rights information can be a powerful tool in shaping effective responses to conflict with “transformational impact”. 7 There is no shortage of comprehensive reports setting out the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. It is time for that information to be acted upon. It is only by addressing the human rights issues set out in the present and numerous previous reports that the Occupied Palestinian Territory can be set on a more hopeful course. If left unaddressed, they will only serve to aggravate the conflict. 2 3 4 5 6 7 4 See S/PV.7291. The preamble states that “it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law”. See S/PV.7247. Security Council Resolution 2171 (2014), preamble. Ibid., preamble. www.un.org/apps/news/infocus/sgspeeches/statments_full.asp?statID=2068#.VGoFO7ccSB8.