Maine Owl

U.S. and Israel boycotting U.N. 6th Special session of the Human Rights Council on human rights violations emanating from Israeli military incursions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the recent ones in occupied Gaza and West Bank town of Nablus, Geneva, 23-24 January 2008

Under a devastating blockade by Israel, the people of Gaza managed to break through the barrier that had prevented entry into Egypt. Of course, it's hard to find a major U.S. source where the news is told in anything but a grudging manner. That San Francisco Chronicle blog has a little digest from sources like Agence France Presse and The Toronto Star.

This has just posted to the New York Times. It's basically just factual with good photos. It concludes with a good quote characterizing Gaza and its future relationship with Egypt: "Mubarak can’t put Gazans back into the same prison. The situation has changed. The pressure on Gaza from Israel has to be lifted."

Meanwhile, a resolution from the Human Rights Council citing "grave violations of the human and humanitarian rights of the Palestinian civilians therein, exacerbat[ing] the severe humanitarian crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory" has been presented to the U.N. General Assembly.

Additionally, the resolution states bluntly how Israel's behavior undercuts recent diplomatic attempts by President Bush: Israel's violations, "undermine international efforts, including the Annapolis Conference and the Paris Donors’ Conference for the Palestinian State, aimed at invigorating the peace process and establishing a viable, contiguous, sovereign and independent Palestinian State by the end of 2008."

Sounds about right. But the U.S. and Israel, of course, will hear none of this. They have boycotted the session and the Human Rights Council in general, and they therefore have boycotted the entire sentiment of this resolution out of history. Itzhak Levanon, Israel's ambassador to the U.N. office in Geneva, called the session a "circus."

The Flashpoints program on Pacifica's KPFA last night had an excellent full-hour program on the Gaza situation. It featured Ali Abunimah of Electronic Intifada and author of One Country, Mohammed Omer, Special correspondent in Rafah and human rights activist Mark Turner.

Ali Abunimah:What we saw today deserves to be noted as a tremendous display of people power.

But it will not in the United States. There is no sensibility in the U.S. recognizing Gaza as a prison for a million and half people who must suffer any insult Israel chooses to issue. These are just terrorists firing makeshift rockets for no particular reason. Therefore, no "Berlin Wall" moment possibly could be involved.

The text of the Human Rights Council resolution is below the fold...

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
Sixth special session

Pakistan (on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference) and the Syrian Arab Republic* (on behalf of the Group of Arab States): draft resolution S-6/… Human rights violations emanating from Israeli military attacks and incursions, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip

The Human Rights Council, Guided by the principles and objectives of the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Human Rights, Affirming the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, Recognizing that the Israeli military attacks and incursions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly the recent ones in the occupied Gaza Strip and the West Bank city of Nablus, constitute grave violations of the human and humanitarian rights of the Palestinian civilians therein, exacerbate the severe humanitarian crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and undermine international efforts, including the Annapolis Conference and the Paris Donors’ Conference for the Palestinian State, aimed at invigorating the peace process and establishing a viable, contiguous, sovereign and independent Palestinian State by the end of 2008, Recognizing also that the Israeli siege imposed on the occupied Gaza Strip, including the closure of the border crossings and the cutting of the supply of fuel, food and medicine, constitutes collective punishment of the Palestinian civilians and leads to disastrous humanitarian and environmental consequences,

1. Expresses grave concern at the repeated Israeli military attacks carried out in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip, which have resulted in loss of life and injuries among Palestinian civilians, including women and children;

2. Calls for urgent international action to put an immediate end to the grave violations committed by the occupying Power, Israel, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the series of incessant and repeated Israeli military attacks and incursions therein and the siege of the occupied Gaza Strip;

3. Demands that the occupying Power, Israel, lift immediately the siege it has imposed on the occupied Gaza Strip, restore continued supply of fuel, food and medicine and reopen the border crossings;

4. Calls for immediate protection of the Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in compliance with human rights law and international humanitarian law;

5. Urges all parties concerned to respect the rules of human rights law and international humanitarian law and to refrain from violence against the civilian population;

6. Requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to report to the Council, at its next session, on the progress made in the implementation of the present resolution.