The UN – Israel can’t handle the truth
JVL Introduction
Israel is calling for the resignation of UN General Secretary António Guterres and says it will ban all UN staff because of what he said, which included the recognition that Hamas’ attack did not happen in a vacuum; but he went on to say that “(n)othing can justify the deliberate killing, injuring and kidnapping of civilians – or the launching of rockets against civilian targets. All hostages must be treated humanely and released immediately and without conditions.” But, of course, he also said that Hamas’ October 7th attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people and referenced “the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing in Gaza”.
Such a ban could have a dreadful impact on Palestinians; and will these increased restrictions impact on internationals, such as Norwegian Dr. Mads Gilbert, who has already been stuck in Cairo for some time trying desperately to get in and provide support and relief for the exhausted doctors in the Gaza Strip?
LL
This article was originally published by the Guardian on Wed 25 Oct 2023. Read the original here.
Israel says it will ban UN staff after secretary general’s comments
Announcement comes after António Guterres said Hamas attacks had to be seen in context of ‘years of suffocating occupation’
Israel says it is banning United Nations representatives from visiting the country “to teach them a lesson” after the UN secretary general, António Guterres, said the 7 October attacks by Hamas had to be seen in the context of decades of occupation of the Palestinian people. Speaking at a UN general debate on the Middle East in New York, Guterres created fury when he said: “It is important to … recognise the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum. The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation.” He also said no injustice to the Palestinians could justify the appalling attacks by Hamas. Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said on army radio: “Due to his remarks we will refuse to issue visas to UN representatives. We have already refused a visa for undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs, Martin Griffiths. The time has come to teach them a lesson.” Erdan has already demanded Guterres’ resignation and described his remarks as blood libel. The response reflects a long-running Israeli belief that UN agencies, especially the UN human rights council, has an anti-Israeli agenda. It is not clear how far the visa ban extends within the UN hierarchy. A large number of UN workers, for instance, are employed by UNRWA, the UN relief and works agency for Palestinian people. The UN secretary general created fury in Israel and among some Republicans in the US by describing Israel’s bombardment and blockade of the Gaza Strip in response to the Hamas attacks as the “collective punishment of the Palestinian people” and “clear violations of international humanitarian law”. Guterres also said of Hamas: “Nothing can justify the deliberate killing, injuring and kidnapping of civilians – or the launching of rockets against civilian targets. All hostages must be treated humanely and released immediately and without conditions.” Griffiths, a former British diplomat and special envoy on Yemen, has been forthright in warning that levels of UN aid into Gaza are woefully inadequate. He has repeatedly called for a ceasefire to allow aid into the territory. Last week the US vetoed a UN resolution tabled by Brazil calling for a humanitarian pause to allow aid into Gaza since it did not explicitly allow for Israel’s self-defence. The US has requested a vote at the UN security council on Thursday afternoon on a draft resolution of its own that reaffirms Israel’s right to collective and individual self defence, but adds that the movement of people within Gaza must be voluntary. The draft resolution calls for “all measures necessary such as humanitarian pauses to allow for the full rapid safe and unhindered humanitarian access, consistent with international humanitarian law for UN agencies and other impartial humanitarian agencies … to ensure the unhindered provision of water, electricity, food fuel and medical supplies”. Russia has put forward its own counter-resolution calling for a swift and unconditional ceasefire A vote could take place later this week. The UN security council has not reached a collective unanimous decision on Israel issue since January 2009, when resolution 1860 (2009) was adopted. The US has vetoed resolutions on Israel a total of 46 times, including last week. Speaking at the UN security council on Tuesday night, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said the US supported a humanitarian lull. Blinken said that Hamas must cease using people as human shields and Israel must take all precautions to avoid harm to civilians. “It means food, medicine and water and other assistance must flow into Gaza and to the areas people need them,” Blinken said. “It means civilians must be able to get out of harm’s way. It means humanitarian pauses must be considered for these purposes.” Asked to expand on Blinken’s comments, national security council spokesperson John Kirby said: “We want to see that all measure of protection for civilians and pauses in operation is a tool and a tactic that can do that for temporary periods of time.” Kirby said the difference between a humanitarian pause and a ceasefire is “a question of duration and scope and size and that kind of thing”. Although it is clear the US opposes a formal ceasefire, the distinction between a humanitarian pause and a humanitarian lull is less immediately apparent. Following Guterres’ remarks, the Israeli foreign minister, Eli Cohen, said in a tweet: “I will not meet with the UN secretary-general. After the 7 October massacre, there is no place for a balanced approach. Hamas must be erased off the face of the planet!” Asked to comment, the UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that the secretary general would be meeting family representatives of hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza, adding they would be accompanied by a representative of the Israeli permanent mission to the UN. It was later reported that some of the hostage families resisted pressure from Cohen not to meet Guterres. Guterres may have angered Israel, but it was notable that Blinken continued to meet him after he had spoken, and many other countries that spoke later in the debate were sharply critical of Israel’s operation against Hamas in Gaza. Sameh Shoukry, the Egyptian minister for foreign affairs, said the Palestinian territories were going through horrific developments. “It is shameful that some continue to justify what is happening, citing the right to self-defence and resisting terrorism,” he said.
The UN General Secretary has more integrity, dignity & genuine compassion for all victims irrespective of race, religion or colour in little finger than all of those world leaders crawling up Netanyahus colon!!!
This isn’t helping anyone ,neither Jewish Israelis or Palestinians these idiotic politicians condemning a man who genuinely wants to stop this dreadful war which the Western idiots seem to want more of!!
They are trouble makers making money from weapons, shame on them!
The ever so entitled Israeli religious extremist government with a corrupt PM has become used to being fawned over. It is a plain fact that the indigenous people of the land have been cruelly oppressed and illegally dispossessed
The US and its veto – nothing, not even the most reasonable of demands, must be allowed to weaken the US ability to benefit from its close relationship with what it knows to be a belligerent government in illegal pursuit of territorial gains.
The problem is, if the UN ever decides to try and alter the rules which allow a handful of nations to veto any action which does not serve their self-aggrandising purposes, any proposal along such lines will be vetoed.
The UN, despite having a majority of nations being heavily critical of Israel, is unable to express its disapproval of Israel’s actions in any meaningful way, because some nations, most prominently the USA and including the UK, refuse to accept their moral responsibilities to a people who are being bullied into extinction by one particular member state.
Israel and its allies have placed everybody else in an impossible position. It is hard to remain hopeful.
The reaction by Israel wasn’t a surprise, it has its definition of what is and has happened and anyone that disagrees they attack, calling for their removal. Look at the part Israel played in getting rid of Jeremy Cornyn. Their grip on other Countries Governments, including their MSM is frightening, they know that whatever atrocity they commit, they will get away with it and they are right. The support they get from the US is key, the US is the problem. I know that I’m repeating myself but the US sees Israel as its own Fully Armed, Middle East Military Base and Israel makes sure it stays that way.