UN Committee calls for stronger global engagement to address racial discrimination in the Palestine-Israel dispute

GENEVA - The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) today published the report of the ad hoc Conciliation Commission in the State of Palestine v. Israel case. The report details the conclusions and recommendations made by the ad hoc Commission for settling the dispute between the two state parties over the issues of racial discrimination.

“The State of Palestine and Israel, as parties to the Convention, have the utmost responsibility to implement the recommendations made by the Commission,” said Michal Balcerzak, Chair of the Committee. “And all States parties share the significant responsibility of assisting them in that endeavour,” he added.

The ad hoc Conciliation Commission was set up in 2022 under Article 12(1) b of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and was composed of five human rights experts from the Committee.

The Commission emphasised that concrete steps toward a mutually agreed and lasting delimitation of borders between the States parties and ending the de facto policy of colonisation and segregation in the occupied territories are necessary for the protection of the rights of both Palestinians and Israelis under the Convention.

The Commission stressed the shared responsibility of all States parties to the Convention in eliminating racial discrimination. It underlined that respecting the rule of law and combatting impunity in cases of racial discrimination are key elements in the process toward a solution to the dispute between the State of Palestine and Israel.

The release of the Commission’s report marks the final stage of the inter-state procedure initiated by the State of Palestine in 2018 under Article 11 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

The report is available online.