A UNITED NATIONS General Assembly Distr. GENERAL A/HRC/4/116 20 December 2006 Original: ENGLISH HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Fourth session Item 2 of the provisional agenda IMPLEMENTATION OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 60/251 OF 15 MARCH 2006, ENTITLED “HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL” Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 pursuant to resolution 3/1 of the Human Rights Council 1. At its 2nd meeting, on 6 July 2006, the Human Rights Council adopted resolution S-1/1 in which it decided “to dispatch an urgent fact-finding mission headed by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967”. Although the terms of the fact-finding mission were not spelled out, in context it was clear that the fact-finding mission was established to examine the factual situation in Gaza following the commencement of “Operation Summer Rains” by the Israel Defense Forces and to report on violations of human rights in the course of this Operation. 2. On 7 July I met with the President of the Human Rights Council and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and their respective staff in order to implement this resolution. It was agreed by all that it would be necessary to obtain the consent of the Government of Israel for this mission as required by the General Assembly in paragraph 6 of its resolution 46/59 entitled: “Declaration on Fact-finding by the United Nations in the Field of the Maintenance of International Peace and Security” ... . To this end, it was agreed that the President would approach the Ambassador of Israel for such consent on the basis of a memorandum on the proposed mission prepared by the Special Rapporteur. GE.06-15587 (E) 281206