Senior U.N. officials strongly criticized Israel for killing Palestinian demonstrators on Nakba Day and for continued violations of international law by demolishing Palestinian homes, confiscating land, and for the continued occupation of Palestinian territory. “I commemorate Nakba this year dismayed by the killing of demonstrators observing the day in the occupied Palestinian territory and elsewhere in the region,” said Richard Falk, U.N. expert on human rights in the West Bank and Gaza. Meanwhile, the U.N.'s top humanitarian official, Valerie Amos, in a visit to the West Bank on Sunday called on Israelis to take note of how their government treats Palestinians. “Palestinians are utterly frustrated by the impact of Israeli policies on their lives. They can't move freely around their territory. They can't plan their communities. They are evicted from their homes. Their homes are regularly demolished,” said Amos. “I don't believe that most people in Israel have any idea of the way planning policies are used to divide and harass communities and families. They would not themselves like to be subjected to such behavior.”
