Gaza - Saba:
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, on Wednesday expressed grave concern over US President Donald Trump's controversial proposal to take over Gaza Strip and deport its inhabitants.
Türk emphasized in an official statement that such actions are blatantly contrary to international law.
"The right to self-determination is a fundamental principle of international law, which all states must respect and protect," he emphasized. Citing recent International Court of Justice decisions that affirmed the international community's commitment to this principle.
International law prohibits the forcible transfer of populations from occupied territories under the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which form the cornerstone of international humanitarian law.
Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention stipulates that an occupying power "may not deport or transfer part of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies, nor may it forcibly transfer the population of the occupied territory to another territory."
The UN official's statement comes at a time when Arab and international fears of escalation in Gaza are growing. Similar proposals have previously faced strong criticism from the United Nations and international human rights organizations, which consider forcible population transfer a flagrant violation of basic rights.
Trump's statement sparked a wave of widespread Arab and international condemnation, in addition to criticism in human rights and political circles, as observers considered that such calls set a dangerous precedent that could fuel regional conflicts and further complicate the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
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