PRESS RELEASE : 43rd Universal Periodic Review – Statement on Israel [May 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 May 2023.
The UK’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Simon Manley, delivered a statement at Israel’s UPR at the Human Rights Council.
Thank you, Mr President. Let me welcome the Deputy Attorney General and the Israeli delegation.
Israel has taken positive steps since its last review, including decreasing the number of Palestinian children in military detention and granting more access permits to Palestinians.
Israel is celebrating its 75th birthday, 75 years as a democratic state, with a thriving civil society – one of its great strengths. So, we encourage Israel to protect civil society organisations.
We recommend Israel:
1) Reverse its policy of settlement expansion in the OPTs, including in East Jerusalem, and the decision by the Knesset in March to allow re-settlement in four locations in the northern West Bank.
2) Cease the appropriation of private Palestinian lands and the demolition of Palestinian properties.
3) Provide a clear and transparent process for construction for Palestinians in ‘area C’ and in East Jerusalem.
