A/HRC/29/52 statements that dehumanize the other side, incite hatred, and only serve to perpetuate a culture of violence. 85. The commission calls upon the Government of Israel to conduct a thorough, transparent, objective and credible review of policies governing military operations and of law enforcement activities in the context of the occupation, as defined by political and military decision-makers, to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law and human rights law, specifically with regard to: (a) The use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated areas, including in the vicinity of specifically protected objects; (b) The definition of military objectives; (c) The tactics of targeting residential buildings; (d) The effectiveness of precautionary measures; (e) The protection of civilians in the context of the application of the Hannibal directive; (f) Ensuring that the principle of distinction is respected when active neighbourhoods are declared “sterile combat zones”; (g) The use of live ammunition in crowd-control situations. The review should also examine mechanisms for continuous review of respect for international humanitarian law and human rights law during military operations and in the course of law enforcement activities in the context of the occupation. 86. The commission further calls upon the Government of Israel: (a) To ensure that investigations comply with international human rights standards and that allegations of international crimes, where substantiated, are met with indictments, prosecutions and convictions, with sentences commensurate to the crime, and to take all measures necessary to ensure that such investigations will not be confined to individual soldiers alone, but will also encompass members of the political and military establishment, including at the senior level, where appropriate; (b) To implement all the recommendations contained in the second report of the Turkel Commission, in particular recommendation No. 2 calling for the enactment of provisions that impose direct criminal liability on military commanders and civilian superiors for offenses committed by their subordinates, in line with the doctrine of command responsibility; (c) To grant access to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory for, and cooperate with, international human rights bodies and non-governmental organizations concerned with investigating alleged violations of international law by all duty bearers and any mechanisms established by the Human Rights Council to follow up on the present report; (d) To address structural issues that fuel the conflict and have a negative impact on a wide range of human rights, including the right to self-determination; in particular, to lift, immediately and unconditionally, the blockade on Gaza; to cease all settlement-related activity, including the transfer of Israel’s own population to the occupied territory; and to implement the advisory opinion rendered on 9 July 2004 by the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of the construction of a wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory; (e) To accede to the Rome Statute. 21

Select target paragraph3

Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents