UN committee: Israel violates housing rights, denies Palestinians water

The United Nations Human Rights Committee has found Israel in violation of its commitments under international law. The violations identified by the Committee include forced evictions of Palestinians from their homes, the demolition of Palestinian homes, and denying Palestinians access to safe drinking water and sanitation. The UN Human Rights Committee issued its findings against Israel at the conclusion of its three-week session in Geneva, The Committee found that the Israeli violations of Palestinian's housing rights, including forced evictions and house demolitions in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, amounted to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. For the first time ever, the Human Rights Committee also addressed denial of access to water and sanitation as violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, finding that in the case of Israel, they amounted to violations of the right to life and the right to equal protection under the law.