The UN Human Rights Council Fact-Finding Mission Report on Israeli Settlements
Amb. Alan Baker
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On 31 January 2013 the “International Fact-Finding Mission on Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” published its findings on the implications of Israeli settlements on the human rights of the Palestinian people.
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The enabling resolution of the Human Rights Council, the composition of the mission, its mandate, mode of operation, and substantive content are, from the outset, based on a premise that considers Israel’s settlement policy to be illegal. This premise dictates the one-sided and prejudiced nature of the mission and its report.
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The accepted usage in UN and other international bodies of the term “occupied Palestinian territories” (OPT) is legally flawed and indicative of the inherent bias accompanying this entire exercise. There has never been any determination that the West Bank territories are in fact “Palestinian territories.” The use of the expression “OPT” constitutes a politically biased and unjustified prejudgment as to the legal status of the territories, which remain “disputed territories” pending agreement between the parties.
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The report is based entirely on material submitted by a small number of Israeli, Palestinian, and international non-governmental organizations known for their anti-Israel agenda, residents of the territories, a left-wing-oriented Israeli newspaper (while ignoring other newspapers that take a different stand), UN bodies, and even the Jordanian foreign ministry.
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The following critique of this inherently one-sided report by the fact-finding mission outlines some examples of the blatant bias, lack of objectivity and unprofessional conduct of the mission, calling upon the UN Secretary General to reject the report in its entirety.
Click here to read the full article.
Ambassador (ret.) Alan Baker is former Legal Counsel of Israel’s Foreign Ministry and former Israeli Ambassador to Canada. He is Director of the Institute for Contemporary Affairs at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
The UN is corrupt beyond redemption. America should stop funding it, should raze the UN building and put that land to honest use.
NEWS ABOUT THE “APARTHEID” STATE –
Canada news networks took a break from reporting about the “occupation” and are running this story about a hockey team made up of Jewish and Arab kids from northern Israel who are now visiting Canada and playing against local teams. Their coach describes the Israeli kids as “hockey freaks”. They love the game.
Video: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/03/15/canada-winnipeg-hockey-israel.html
THE ZIONISM IS RACISM UN Resolution ~~~ Riveting CBC radio interview with MOYNIHAN’S MOMENT’s author Gil Troy.
It focuses on the passionate campaign US Ambassador to the UN Daniel Patrick Moynihan led against this UN Resolution. Troy tells how disappointed Moynihan was at the shocking lack of reaction by the Israeli govt and the Diaspora, and by then Sec. of State Henry Kissiger’s own dismissive attitude. The author tells how this UN resolution gave legitimacy to vicious verbal anti-Semitism that had been repressed in the aftermath of World War II. He also makes reference to the key organizing role played by the Soviet Union in the passing of the UN resolution. Moynihan never ceased to fight against it, until it was revoked.
Gil Troy’s book must be fascinating. You can listen to the podcast of the interview here: http://www.cbc.ca/thesundayedition/shows/2013/03/17/zionism/