HRC: Algeria Calls for “Immediate” Cessation of Aggression Against Gaza
On Wednesday in Geneva, Algeria called for an “immediate” end to aggression against the Gaza Strip and the illegitimate Zionist presence in the occupied Palestinian territories. The nation urged the international community to fully assume its legal responsibilities and activate accountability mechanisms against the occupying forces.
During the general debate under item 7 of the Human Rights Council’s agenda at its 58th session, Algeria’s permanent representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Rachid Bladehane, expressed strong condemnation of the occupying power’s violations of the ceasefire agreement and the resumption of hostilities in the Gaza Strip, which have resulted in hundreds of casualties and injuries. He highlighted a range of “repressive, discriminatory, and settlement policies aimed at undermining the Palestinian cause,” including blockade, starvation, destruction, ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, collective punishment, and annexation of Palestinian territories.
Algeria denounced what it termed “flagrant violations of international law in all its forms,” calling for an immediate halt to both the aggression against Gaza and the illegitimate Zionist presence within Palestinian territories. Furthermore, it demanded reparations in accordance with the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly on this matter.
Bladehane also condemned attempts to Judaize East Al-Quds and demographic changes designed to establish an apartheid regime.
On this occasion, Algeria reiterated its call for the international community to fulfill its legal obligations fully, implement the opinions and directives of the ICJ, and adhere to United Nations resolutions while activating accountability mechanisms against the occupying forces.
In this context, Bladehane underscored the importance of maintaining the seventh item on the Council’s agenda, given the ongoing colonialism and systematic human rights violations perpetrated against the Palestinian people by the occupying power. “Any retreat from this item would only serve to strengthen impunity and undermine the effectiveness and credibility of international legal mechanisms,” he warned.
Moreover, Algeria urged the international community to provide the necessary political, financial, and material support for the reconstruction of Gaza, aiming to restore habitability following the widespread destruction inflicted by the recent aggression. The country emphasized that any reconstruction plan must ensure the Palestinians’ ongoing presence on their land and facilitate the return of displaced individuals.
In conclusion, Bladehane reaffirmed that the only viable solution for achieving a lasting, comprehensive, and just peace lies in ending the Zionist occupation of Palestinian territories and all occupied Arab lands. He stressed the necessity for the Palestinian people to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and to establish a fully sovereign independent state based on the 1967 borders, with Al-Quds as its capital, while addressing the refugee issue in accordance with international legal resolutions.
