UN creates expert body to settle Palestine's racism claim against Israel

A body of rights experts has been created by the United Nations to settle a claim of racism raised by Palestine against Israel.

The conciliation commission "will offer its good offices to both the State of Palestine and Israel" and seeks to "resolv[e] the dispute over allegations of racial discrimination amicably", a United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) press release published on Thursday read.

In the statement, the OHCHR noted that Palestine and Israel are members of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICEAFRD).

This mechanism lets nations raise claims that other countries have breached this convention with the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Palestine alleges Israel has broken three articles from the ICEAFRD in its conduct towards Palestinians living under occupation.

This includes an article that asks countries who have joined the convention to "particularly condemn racial segregation and apartheid and undertake to prevent, prohibit and eradicate all practices of this nature in territories under their jurisdiction".

The Palestinian foreign ministry on Friday said it was pleased the conciliation committee had been formed, according to Wafa, the Palestinian Authority's official news agency.

"Israel's discrimination and racism against the Palestinian people violate the basic tenets of international law and humanity as a whole," the ministry said.

"The fight against racism and discrimination must be universal."

The body dealing with Palestine's grievance against Israel is made up of five "independent" human rights experts, OHCHR's press release said.

It named the experts as Chinsung Chung, Gün Kut, Michał Balcerzak, Pansy Tlakula, and Verene Shepherd.