An Israeli human rights group urged the UN Security Council to take decisive action now to end the country's occupation of Palestinian territory.
Hagai El-Ad, executive director of B'Tselem, told an informal council meeting Friday on "Illegal Israeli Settlements: Obstacles to Peace and the Two-State Solution" that Israel has controlled Palestinian lives in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem for the past 49 years "and counting."
"Israel will not cease being an oppressor simply by waking up one day and realising the brutality of its policies," he said.
With the 50th anniversary approaching next year, El-Ad said "the rights of Palestinians must be realised, the occupation must end, the UN Security Council must act, and the time is now." [...]
Another Israeli rights group, Peace Now, was invited to speak but it was represented by its sister organization, Americans for Peace Now, which has also campaigned for an end to Israeli occupation.
"The occupation is a threat to Israel's security and to Israel's very existence," said Lara Friedman, the group's director of policy and government relations. [...]
The Palestinians pushed for the Security Council to adopt a resolution against settlements in February 2011 but it was vetoed by the United States. The 14 other Security Council members voted in favour of the resolution, reflecting the wide support for the draft which had over 100 co-sponsors.
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