Addameer, as part of a group from Palestinian civil society, recently attended the 40th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. As part of this coalition, we engaged directly with the proceedings on human rights violations in the Palestinian territories, delivered several oral statements, conducted meetings with diplomatic representatives, and had discussions with mandate holders and representatives of UN mechanisms.

Overall, the primary focus of Addameer's interventions and discussions were the continuing use of imprisonment as a tool of control and domination. Addameer focused on collective punishment for prisoners and for their families, the recent raids on prisons and detention conditions and lastly, the ongoing and systematic targeting of human rights defenders such as Addameer's legal unit coordinator Ayman Nasser.

The meetings were exceptionally fruitful, with there being clear paths forward to utilizing international legal institutions and instruments in our quest to hold duty bearers accountable. We look forward to continuing our work towards specific condemnations of the Israeli practice

The occupying state must be placed against the yardstick of international law in order to hold Israel accountable for its systematic violations of Palestinian rights and committed crimes. This is why we must continue to use international institutions, such as the Human Rights Council and the International Criminal Court.