UN rights chief: Evidence that Israel abused rights in Gaza

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"There is significant evidence that Israeli forces violated international law and human rights in their invasion of Gaza between late December and mid-January, the United Nations human rights chief said on Friday.

A report by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay lambasted the "nearly total impunity" for the violations.

The already critical human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) deteriorated further during the war, she said in the report, the first of a series of periodic reports ordered by the UN Human Rights Council in January during Israel's "Operation Cast Lead."

The 34-page report is one of two - together with a forthcoming one by South African jurist Richard Goldstone who has been conducting hearings in Gaza - that will be presented to the council next month.

"Significant prima facie evidence indicates that serious violations of international humanitarian law as well as gross human rights violations occurred during the military operations of 27 December 2008 to 18 January 2009, which were compounded by the blockade that the population of Gaza endured in the months prior to Operation Cast Lead and which continues," Pillay said.

Pillay said rights violations included arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment, extrajudicial execution, forced eviction and home demolition, settlement expansion and related violence and restrictions on freedom of movement and expression."

more

[bemildred]

1. This story seems to confuse the UN High Commissioner with the HRC?

http://www.un.org/sg/senstaff_details.asp?smgID=139

Anyone that thinks Ms Pillay is singling out Israel ought to type her name into Google News.

[Lakrosse]

2. the same UN that at one time had

People's Republic of China, Zimbabwe, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, Algeria, Syria, Libya, and Vietnam on the UN Commission on Human Rights. Sudan was even elected to it. Honestly, when it comes to the Middle East, the UN has no credibility WHATSOEVER.

[Violet_Crumble]

3. And who would you consider to have credibility?

I'd be interested to know....

[Lakrosse]

4. not those countries

and if you think those countries have any business on anything to do with human rights, as opposed to the US, Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Israel, you're just a sad guy, or you really hate the West.

[Violet_Crumble]

5. I asked you who you considered credible, not who you didn't consider credible...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you think Israel would be credible. That just blew what little credibility you had to talk about credibility in a big way...

[Lakrosse]

6. when have you ever complained about

how Russia killed 50000 Chechen civilians alone in both Chechan wars?

Has it ever occured to you that Israel, like the countries I said would be credible, is a http://freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=22&year=2009&country=7630 free democracy? Sudan, etc. ain't. Also, Sudan has killed more people than israel has Palestinian Arab civilians in the whole conflict, yet you have no problem with them being on the council.

Height of hypocrisy.

[Violet_Crumble]

7. Back when this was the Foreign Affairs forum, that's when...

Not that it has anything to do with the topic of the thread, but you can check with Lithos to confirm that one, seeing he was a mod way back then....

Credibility to judge others on human rights does not automatically come from being a democracy. Yr arguing that Bush and Cheney had more right to judge others on human rights than other countries, and while conservative types would find that idea totally acceptable, those of us who aren't are intelligent enough to understand that democracy is a political ideology, not a statement about human rights, and democracies can and do violate human rights, Israel being a prime example of that...

btw, I don't recall saying I had no problem with Sudan being on the Human Rights Council. Could you link to where I said I have no problem? Or are you being a bit naughty and just making it up?

No offense to you, but based on the double standards you've displayed where you defend bigotry against Arabs, I doubt anyone is going to take you seriously when you utter the word hypocrisy...

[shira]

8. quote from the end of this article

Islamic and African countries, backed by Russia, China, Cuba and Nicaragua, currently have a majority on the 47-member council, which has spent more time on Israel/Palestine than on any other issue since being set up three years ago.

That's pretty much all one needs to know about this council - rogue, inhumane countries unwilling to have checks and balances or open criticism of their policies - using Israel as their scapegoat to avoid far more damning criticism of their own nation's policies - accusing Israel of any and all things possible - real or imagined.

:eyes:

Kinda like expecting an all-white court in southern Mississippi or Alabama, 50 years ago before the civil rights movement, giving blacks fair trials.

I wonder what all this "evidence" against Israel consists of - mostly "eyewitness" accounts from Gazans or "Palestinian officials" like Hamas?