A/HRC/38/15 67. Algeria deplored the refusal of Israel to recognize the applicability of its international obligations with respect to the Occupied Palestinian Territory. 68. Angola encouraged Israel to continue to promote the economic, social and cultural rights of all peoples without discrimination. 69. Argentina welcomed the delegation. 70. Australia encouraged Israel to implement fully the Equal Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill. 71. Austria underscored that any detention of children must be a measure of last resort and for the shortest period of time. 72. Bahrain was concerned about the deteriorating human rights situation in the occupied territories and strongly condemned settlement expansion. 73. Belgium expressed concern about lack of progress on issues such as the increase of restrictions on civil society organizations. 74. The Plurinational State of Bolivia welcomed the delegation. 75. Botswana highlighted lack of cooperation by Israel with several United Nations human rights mechanisms. 76. Brazil encouraged expanded cooperation with special procedures by extending a standing invitation. 77. Bulgaria highlighted Israel’s engagement with the Human Rights Council. It noted Israel’s resolve to address gender-based violence. 78. Canada recognized Israel’s security challenges. It welcomed measures adopted to promote the equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons. 79. The Commissioner for Equal Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Avremi Torem, addressed remarks made by the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Slovakia and noted that the Commission for Equal Rights of Persons with Disabilities was an independent body within the Ministry of Justice, established in the year 2000 and responsible for enhancing equality, fighting discrimination and eliminating accessibility barriers. 80. The Commissioner noted Israel’s accessibility legislation, which applied to both private and public buildings and services, and highlighted new regulations on accessibility to education. 81. The Commissioner described the close work with the Ministry of Education on its policies regarding inclusive education. Similarly, the Commission worked with the Ministry of Health, conducting on-site visits to monitor the situation of persons with disabilities in psychiatric hospitals and housing facilities. The Commissioner also noted a change in the policy regarding the use of restraints in psychiatric hospitals. 82. In response to questions raised by Montenegro and the Republic of Korea, the Commissioner stated that in 2016, the Knesset had amended the Equal Rights Law, mandating an appropriate representation of 5 per cent of persons with disabilities in the workplace. The Commission — which held enforcement powers — filed civil and criminal suits, aided people in realizing their rights, and worked to eliminate barriers to employment and raise public awareness. 83. The National Anti-Trafficking Coordinator, Dina Dominitz, described her role coordinating both between government agencies, and between those agencies and NGOs, to combat trafficking in persons. 84. Addressing a remark made by Albania about combating trafficking in persons, the Coordinator said that Israel had made outstanding achievements in that field in recent years, owing to the Government’s determined and consistent actions in the fields of prevention, protection and prosecution, as well as to constant efforts to forge new partnerships with the business sector, the tourism industry, religious leaders and civil society. She outlined several groundbreaking judicial decisions underscoring the Government’s commitment to eradicating trafficking in persons. 7