A/HRC/38/15 100. Germany commended progress on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex rights while remaining concerned about the human rights situation, especially in the occupied Palestinian territories. 101. Ghana lauded progress since the previous review cycle in promoting women’s rights, and welcomed new legislation to narrow gender-based wage discrepancies. 102. Greece hailed the introduction of round tables on core human rights issues and welcomed programmes to benefit minorities. 103. Honduras welcomed measures taken to implement the recommendations received in the previous review. 104. Iceland echoed the observations of the International Court of Justice that Israel was bound to human rights obligations with respect to the local population. 105. India appreciated efforts to empower minorities and noted the progress on the rights of children in the areas of education and health. 106. Indonesia stated that Israel should end practices contrary to its international obligations and improve the lives of the population in East Jerusalem. 107. The Islamic Republic of Iran noted that the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory continued to deteriorate due to a wide range of crimes committed including the destruction of civilian property in the Gaza Strip, punitive home demolitions, and the systematic expansion of illegal settlements. It stated that inaction should not be allowed regarding the systematic human rights violations by the Israeli regime that jeopardizes credibility of human rights apparatus including the universal periodic review mechanism. 108. Israel made a point of order. It objected to the fact that the Islamic Republic of Iran with its dismal human rights record pretended to give Israel lessons on human rights. It requested that the Islamic Republic of Iran respect the rules governing the discussion including making proper reference to the State under review. 109. The Islamic Republic of Iran replied that this was the review of the Israeli regime and that its representatives should not refer to my country. 110. The President reiterated his previous ruling calling on all speakers to respect each other’s views and uphold United Nations terminology. 111. Iraq noted that since its occupation of the Arab territories, Israel continued to violate the rights of the Palestinian people. 112. Ireland was concerned about the extensive use by Israel of administrative detention without formal charge and the expansion of illegal settlements. 113. Italy welcomed measures adopted to promote lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights, as well as the promotion of disability rights. 114. Japan welcomed ratification of human rights treaties and efforts to protect women’s rights. It deplored the continuation of settlement activities. 115. Latvia acknowledged measures taken by Israel to protect human rights. 116. In her final intervention, the Director General responded to the following issues: reforms introduced by an interministerial team regarding the juvenile justice system in the West Bank, including establishing a Juvenile Military Court; training for military youth judges; raising the age of majority to 18; introducing a special statute of limitation for minors; improving the notification to the minor and his or her family of his or her rights; authorizing the military courts to appoint a defence attorney to represent a minor if his or her benefit so requires; further separation between minors and adults throughout the criminal process; aspects of freedom of expression in Israel and human rights defenders, and the lack of restrictions on organizations to promote and uphold human rights; the recent Disclosure Requirement Law, underlining its objective to enhance transparency while maintaining the ability of NGOs to raise funds; recent government resolutions providing substantial budgets to strengthen Arab and Bedouin communities and enable their economic 9

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