London – 15 June 2017

Representatives of the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) met on Tuesday with the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories (OPt), Michael Lynk, to discuss the latest developments in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. 

Mr. Lynk briefed the PRC delegation on the focal points of his mission in the OPt, which includes probes into human rights violations committed for 50 years under the Israeli occupation.

PRC delegates highlighted the latest developments in the OPt and the repercussions of the wall and the illegal settlement activity. They further raised the prisoners’ issue and the Israeli crackdowns against the Palestinians in east Occupied Jerusalem, including movement bans and violations of the freedom of worship.

PRC sounded the alarm over the tragic situation in Gaza due to the decade-long blockade and over the crises endured by the Palestinian refugee community nationwide and overseas, along with UNRWA’s strategic role in rehabilitating the refugees’ infringed rights, particularly in the besieged coastal enclave of Gaza and war-ravaged Syria.

The mandate of the Special Rapporteur derives from the 1993 resolution from the Committee of Human Rights. The mandate calls on the Special Rapporteur to investigate Israel's violations of the principles and bases of international law, international humanitarian law and the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War in the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967. He is also tasked with reporting, with his conclusions and recommendations, to the Commission on Human Rights at its future sessions. The Special Rapporteur is an independent expert appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council.

PRC is a London-based independent consultancy focusing on the historical, political and legal aspects of the Palestinian refugees. The organization offers expert advice to various actors and agencies on the question of Palestinian refugees within the context of the Nakba (the catastrophe) following the forced displacement of Palestinians in 1948 and serves as an information repository on other related aspects of the Palestine question and the Arab-Israeli conflict. It is an organization in Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council since 2015.