Minutes of the UN Human Rights Council Bureau meeting
15 May 2013
On 15 May 2013, the Bureau held a meeting and discussed the following: [...]
Non-cooperation with UPR
The President informed the Bureau that in line with the Council’s decision of 29 January 2013 on 14 May 2013 he sent a letter to the Permanent Representative of Israel to the UN in Geneva, Amb. E. Manor, reiterating his appeal to Israel, the State under Review, to resume its cooperation with the UPR mechanism. He further informed the Bureau of his intention to report to the Council on this issue during the general debate on Item 6 at the upcoming 23 session of the Council (currently scheduled for 7 June).
On at least 20 separate occasions this year, the Israeli government appealed to the UN to take action against Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, in letters sent to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the President of the Security Council.
In these letters, Israel urged the United Nations to act against repeated rockets attacks from Gaza against Israeli civilians, and, at a minimum, to speak out and condemn the attacks.
“Inaction today could help ignite an escalation of conflict tomorrow,” Israel warned the UN, while exercising astonishing measures of restraint that no other country facing a similar onslaught of rockets has ever shown.
Yet we are unaware of any UN action whatsoever taken in response. Continue reading ‘The 20 Israeli appeals ignored by the U.N. this year’
During a debate at the Human Rights Council on Tuesday, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression expressed concern with recent attempts to limit criticism of Israel’s occupation. He also referred to his apprehension over the prosecution of Uri Blau and the adoption of laws criminalizing the commemoration of Israeli independence day as a day of mourning, questioning of Israel as a Jewish state and prohibition of boycotts of Israeli products and those produced in the settlements in the West Bank. He said that the ability of individuals in the West Bank to express themselves is limited by the IDF who use excessive force to disperse protesters.
In Gaza, the Rapporteur was concerned by the use of force of Gaza security forces against those expressing opinions deemed unacceptable to the de facto authority. Egypt agreed with his report on Palestine and Israel.
Palestine called for an end to the occupation and for the establishment of the Palestinian state. They referred to the Israeli occupation as “the most flagrant violation of human rights.” They call on Israel to comply with international law and put an end to occupation of Palestine.
The president gave the floor to the other concerned country, Israel, but noted that, “unfortunately, Israel is not present in the room and therefore cannot speak.” (Israel told the UNHRC recently that they will not be participating at its sessions.)
AP quoted Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor saying “We remain totally committed to freedom of speech for all, and we will examine very closely the recommendations with the aim of making whatever improvements may be necessary.” At the same time, Hamas called the report “slander.”
The absence of any United Nations condemnation of the ceaseless Gaza-sourced rocket attacks on southern Israeli cities is highlighted in a letter Israel has sent to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council.
“This is a dangerous trend,” Ambassador Haim Waxman, Israel’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, says in comments reflecting the letter’s content.
“During the past month, more than 40 rockets and mortars have been fired into Israeli cities. Israel holds Hamas fully responsible for all acts of terrorism emanating from Gaza. We will continue to exercise our right to self-defense and take all measures necessary to protect our citizens.” Continue reading ‘UN Indifferent to Gaza Rocket Attacks on Israel: Ambassador’
From 2000 to 2008, Israel sent letters to the Secretary General of the United Nations and the President of the Security Council, describing the Palestinian firing of rockets against Israeli town and cities, as well as suicide attacks. The UN took no action; on the contrary, it devoted a disproportionate amount of its time and energy to demonizing Israel.
Below is a list of the letters: Continue reading ‘Israeli appeals on rocket fire ignored by the UN, 2000-2008′
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