Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, to hold Public Hearings in Geneva from 7 to 11 November

GENEVA (1 November 2022) – As part of its mandate and its investigations, the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, will hold a first series of public hearings from 7 to 11 November 2022, in Geneva. 

The hearings are open to accredited media, will take place in Room 17 at the Palais des Nations from 2 to 6 p.m. each day, and will be broadcast live in English on UN Web TV.  Media without UNOG media credentials who wish to attend need to register on UNOG · Indico.

The public hearings will focus on the closure orders and terrorism designation of a number of Palestinian human rights organizations, and on the incident surrounding the killing of the journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. Victims, witnesses, civil society organizations, and legal representatives will be invited to provide relevant testimony to the Commission in this forum.

In May 2021, the Commission of Inquiry was mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel all alleged violations of international humanitarian law and all alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law leading up to and since 13 April 2021, and all underlying root causes of recurrent tensions, instability and protraction of conflict, including systematic discrimination and repression based on national, ethnic, racial or religious identity.

These hearings will form part of the Commission’s ongoing investigative work, including for upcoming reports. A separate call for submissions on a number of topics will be launched on the Commission’s website.

More information on the work of the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel, can be found at: https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/co-israel/index

Media contact:  Rolando Gomez, Rolando.gomez@un.org or +41 79 477 4411