Finally some good news for the Palestinians
gimmesometruth27
St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
it will be interesting to see if this has any teeth and makes any sort of difference. I would like to see Israel have to defend itself in front of the ICC if they do not stop settlement expansion.
Palestinians feel vindicated by UN rights report on Israel
http://news.yahoo.com/palestinians-feel ... 12990.html
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinians welcomed a U.N. Human Rights Council report on Thursday highly critical of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying it vindicated their struggle against Israel.
The U.N. investigation, which was boycotted by the Jewish state, urged Israel to halt settlement construction unconditionally and begin removing all 500,000 Israeli settlers from occupied territory immediately.
"This is incredible. We are extremely heartened by this principled and candid assessment of Israeli violations," said Hanan Ashrawi, a senior official in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
The U.N. report, issued in Geneva, said the settlements contravened the Fourth Geneva Convention forbidding the transfer of civilian populations into occupied territory and could amount to war crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The Palestinians last year won a vote in the United Nations General Assembly granting them de facto statehood in territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.
The enhanced diplomatic status gives them access to many world bodies, including the ICC, and Palestinian leaders have said they might try to haul Israel before the court unless it halts the settlements and engages in meaningful negotiations.
"The report confirms and deepens the application of international law and shows that the law applies to all, and no one is above it," Palestinian government spokesperson Nour Odeh told Reuters.
Israel's foreign ministry condemned the report as "counterproductive and unfortunate", adding that the only way to resolve the dispute was through direct negotiations.
U.S.-brokered talks between the two sides broke down in 2010 over the issue of settlement building. The Palestinians say they will not return to negotiations until the construction stops. Israel says there must be no preconditions.
Fatah, the party that holds sway over Palestinian-controlled areas of the West Bank, said on Thursday that Israeli rights violations were undermining the chances of peace.
"(Fatah) does not see any real opportunity for the resumption of the peace process and negotiations with the continued policy of settlement expansion, especially in Jerusalem, which would destroy the principle of a two-state solution," it said in a statement.
"It rejects dubious schemes to end the Palestinian cause through any temporary state, or other solutions which detract from the right of our people to self-determination. The rules of conflict have changed."
Israelis captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 war and later annexed the territory, proclaiming the city as their "eternal and indivisible" capital. Palestinians want to create the capital of their own state in the eastern half of Jerusalem.
Israel has called the Palestinian maneuvers in international bodies "diplomatic terrorism", while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas last week said a "legal, diplomatic war" in the U.N. arena was a fair option for his government.
diplomatic terrorism.....yeah, kinda like the real terrorism of stealing land and expanding settlements...
Palestinians feel vindicated by UN rights report on Israel
http://news.yahoo.com/palestinians-feel ... 12990.html
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinians welcomed a U.N. Human Rights Council report on Thursday highly critical of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying it vindicated their struggle against Israel.
The U.N. investigation, which was boycotted by the Jewish state, urged Israel to halt settlement construction unconditionally and begin removing all 500,000 Israeli settlers from occupied territory immediately.
"This is incredible. We are extremely heartened by this principled and candid assessment of Israeli violations," said Hanan Ashrawi, a senior official in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
The U.N. report, issued in Geneva, said the settlements contravened the Fourth Geneva Convention forbidding the transfer of civilian populations into occupied territory and could amount to war crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The Palestinians last year won a vote in the United Nations General Assembly granting them de facto statehood in territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.
The enhanced diplomatic status gives them access to many world bodies, including the ICC, and Palestinian leaders have said they might try to haul Israel before the court unless it halts the settlements and engages in meaningful negotiations.
"The report confirms and deepens the application of international law and shows that the law applies to all, and no one is above it," Palestinian government spokesperson Nour Odeh told Reuters.
Israel's foreign ministry condemned the report as "counterproductive and unfortunate", adding that the only way to resolve the dispute was through direct negotiations.
U.S.-brokered talks between the two sides broke down in 2010 over the issue of settlement building. The Palestinians say they will not return to negotiations until the construction stops. Israel says there must be no preconditions.
Fatah, the party that holds sway over Palestinian-controlled areas of the West Bank, said on Thursday that Israeli rights violations were undermining the chances of peace.
"(Fatah) does not see any real opportunity for the resumption of the peace process and negotiations with the continued policy of settlement expansion, especially in Jerusalem, which would destroy the principle of a two-state solution," it said in a statement.
"It rejects dubious schemes to end the Palestinian cause through any temporary state, or other solutions which detract from the right of our people to self-determination. The rules of conflict have changed."
Israelis captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 war and later annexed the territory, proclaiming the city as their "eternal and indivisible" capital. Palestinians want to create the capital of their own state in the eastern half of Jerusalem.
Israel has called the Palestinian maneuvers in international bodies "diplomatic terrorism", while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas last week said a "legal, diplomatic war" in the U.N. arena was a fair option for his government.
diplomatic terrorism.....yeah, kinda like the real terrorism of stealing land and expanding settlements...
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
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pretty scathing...
http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies ... ements.pdf
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013 ... -bank?lite
Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank violate Palestinian human rights and must be withdrawn, United Nations investigators said Thursday -- a move described by observers as “unprecedented.”
An international report by the U.N. Human Rights Council said Israel is “committing serious breaches of its obligations under the right to self-determination and under humanitarian law.”
All settlers must begin to withdraw from the occupied territories, the report said. It echoed the earlier claim of Palestinians that the the practices of settlers could be considered possible war crimes by the International Criminal Court.
Israel, which did not cooperate with the investigation, dismissed the document as “biased” and said it would “only hamper efforts to find a sustainable solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.”
Tel Aviv-based Haaretz said the “unprecedented” conclusion was the U.N.’s “harshest condemnation of Israeli policy in West Bank since 1967.”
About 250 settlements in the West Bank have been established since 1967 and they hold an estimated 520,000 settlers, the U.N. said.
Palestinians claim the settlements hamper Palestinian access to farm lands.
The report, led by French judge Christine Chanet and summarized in a news release in Geneva on Thursday, said:
"Israel must, in compliance with article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, cease all settlement activities without preconditions. It must immediately initiate a process of withdrawal of all settlers from the OPT (occupied Palestinian territories).
These violations are all interrelated, forming part of an overall pattern of breaches that are characterised principally by the denial of the right to self-determination and systemic discrimination against the Palestinian people which occur on a daily basis.
Since 1967, Israeli governments have openly led, directly participated in, and had full control of the planning, construction, development, consolidation and encouragement of settlements, the report states."
Asma Jahangir, one of the authors of the report, said: “We are today calling on the government of Israel to ensure full accountability for all violations, put an end to the policy of impunity and to ensure justice for all victims.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement refuting the findings, according to the Jerusalem Post. “The Human Rights Council has sadly distinguished itself by its systematical, one-sided and biased approach towards Israel. This latest report is yet another unfortunate reminder of such approach,” the newspaper quoted the ministry as saying.
Hanan Ashrawi, a top official with the Palestinian Liberation Organization, told Reuters: "This is incredible. We are extremely heartened by this principled and candid assessment of Israeli violations...This report clearly states the Israel is not just violating the 4th Geneva Convention, but places Israel in liability to the Rome Statute under the jurisdiction of the ICC."
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
their 'way out' is that they can be big boys and admit what theyve done and move to make it right. id have respect for them if they did that.besides dont we all love a repentent sinner?
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
For the record, I probably agree with you and cate as to the desired endstate in the Israel/Palestine situation, but in trying to view the world from Israel's PoV, I just don't know if this is the path there.
israel will ALWAYS be the victim if they continually use fear and security as the excuse for oppression. i have zero doubt in my mind that the israeli govt knows what they are doing is wrong and yet they continue their actions with no accountability. the path as i see it is clear. the israeli govt has to be called to task. they need to be leaned on heavily. it must be made very clear to the powers that be that they will receive no support if they continue along the path theyre currently on. and the international community must support the palestinian people. we are talking about people alienated within their own country. i know how important israel is as a strategic friend within the region to certain parties but that should be no excuse to allow the violation of human rights.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
http://www.democracynow.org/2013/1/29/t ... ew_film_ex
*************
i think it pretty much reiterates what i've said all along ... the only hope for the palestinians are the people of israel ... they can do the most for peace and humanity ... no one else can nor will ...