The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories resigned today, citing Israel's continued failure to grant him access to the areas he is meant to monitor.
"Unfortunately, my efforts to help improve the lives of Palestinian victims of violations under the Israeli occupation have been frustrated every step of the way," said Makarim Wibisono, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
"With no reply from Israel to my latest request, in October 2015, to have access by the end of 2015, it is with deep regret that I accept the premise upon which I took up the mandate, which is to have direct access to the victims in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, will not be fulfilled," Wibisono said.
His resignation, one-and-a-half-year ahead of the end of his tenure, will be effective as of March 31 this year after he presents his last report on human rights violations and abuses in the OPT at the 31st session of the HRC to be held in March 2016.
The UN independent rights expert said that he was assured of full access to the OPT when he took up his tenure in June 2014 but repeated requests, both oral and written, to Israel since then have been unsuccessful.
"I took up this mandate with the understanding that Israel would grant me access, as an impartial and objective observer," he said.
However, he said, that the government of the State of Palestine cooperated fully with his mandate.
The Special Rapporteur also voiced "deep concern" at the "lack of effective protection of Palestinian victims of continuing human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law".
"It is my sincere hope that whoever succeeds me will manage to resolve the current impasse, and so reassure the Palestinian people that after nearly half a century of occupation the world has not forgotten their plight and that universal human rights are indeed universal," said Wibisono.
The Indonesian rights expert was the sixth Special Rapporteur appointed by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.
Wibisono's tenure was to end in June 2017.
