U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said Tuesday she was “deeply troubled” about the use of live ammunition against protesters in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Sunday. Up to 23 pro-Palestinian demonstrators were reportedly killed by Israeli forces on Sunday. This comes just weeks after at least a dozen more protesters were killed on May 15, a day of Palestinian mourning that marks the Israeli seizure of their homes and land. “Between 30 and 40 protesters have reportedly been killed by Israeli security forces in the past three weeks,” Pillay said in a statement. “The government of Israel has a duty to ensure that its security personnel avoid the use of excessive force.” “However difficult the circumstances, the use of live ammunition against allegedly unarmed protesters, resulting in large numbers of deaths and injuries, inevitably raises the question of unnecessary and excessive use of force,” Pillay wrote. Pillay urged Israel to comply with its obligations under international human-rights and humanitarian law to ensure the protection of civilians.
