Israel’s transgressions linked to UN, RTOP

Israel’s transgressions linked to UN, US at Russell Tribunal

The Russell Tribunal on Palestine has found that Israel has achieved a status of immunity and impunity by their complete disregard for the norms and standards of international law.

Concluding its fourth and final international session of testimony in New York, the tribunal examined the role of the United Nations (UN) and the United States (US) concluding that both were complicit in Israel’s ‘international wrongful acts.

The tribunal is taking the United States to task, collaborating, it believes, in preventing a resolution to the long-standing conflict.

“By stone-walling an international resolution to end the conflict by abusing its veto power within the Security Council, the US is in violation of several provisions of the UN Charter,” says Russell Tribunal juror, Michael Mansfield.

The UN was accused of handing its responsibility on Palestinian self-determination to the Middle East Quartet, a forum the tribunal argues is dominated by the US position.

The UN’s failure to take action that is proportionate to the duration and severity of Israel’s violations of international law, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, crime of Apartheid, genocide, and by not exhausting all peaceful means of pressure available to it, does not comply with the obligation that states have conferred on the UN.

The United States and Israel refused to participate in the hearings.

The tribunal will meet for a wrap up session in Brussels, later this year, where the four reports from its sessions in London, Barcelona, Cape Town, and now, New York, will be collated and then presented in a closing session by February, next year.

They hope to mobilize public opinion against the status quo that has come to define the relationship between Israel and Palestinian people.

Tuesday 9 October 2012 06:08

SABC

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The aspiration of the Media Review Network is to dispel the myths and stereotypes about Islam and Muslims and to foster bridges of understanding among the diverse people of our country. The Media Review Network believes that Muslim perspectives on issues impacting on South Africans are a prerequisite to a better appreciation of Islam.