What's New

Resources updated between Monday, March 18, 2013 and Sunday, March 24, 2013

March 22, 2013

Eilleen Donahoe, US Amb to UN in Geneva

The Obama administration today refused to vote against a new resolution invented at the UN "Human Rights" Council supporting the racist "anti-racism" Durban Declaration. It was called "Education as a tool to prevent racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance." American ambassador Eileen Donahoe made a statement complaining about the Declaration and alluding to its obnoxious treatment of Israel, and then merely abstained. The resolution says: "Welcoming the efforts made by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and by the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action...,"

Human Rights Council Revised Draft Resolution "Education as a tool to prevent racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance" Development

Organization of the Islamic Conference

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) once again has succeeded in further degrading freedom of expression in favor of the so-called demands of religion and non-discrimination - with the approval of the United States and all other democracies on the Council. The latest successful "human rights" effort by the OIC and the League of Arab states - adopted by consensus - is called: "Combating intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatization of, and discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against, persons based on religion or belief." The European Union explained its problems with the resolution (followed by total capitulation and a refusal to vote against.)

Human Rights Council Draft Resolution "Combating intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatization of, and discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against, persons based on religion or belief" Development

Iran President Ahmadinejad at Durban II

The UN Human Rights Council breathes new life into the racist "anti-racism" Durban agenda. Today, it extended the mandate of the " Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action" for another three years. Support for the Council by the Obama administration, means that the U.S. taxpayer will pay 22% of the costs, regardless of the U.S. voting against the resolution.

HRC Draft Resolution "Intergovernmental Working Group on the Comprehensive Follow-Up to the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance and the Effective Implementation of the DDPA" Development

The UN "human rights" council today set in motion a plan to develop boycotts, divestment and sanctions against the state of Israel. The development came with the adoption of a resolution on Israeli settlements and two paragraphs stating:

(2). Calls upon the relevant United Nations bodies to take all necessary measures and actions within their mandates to ensure the full respect for and compliance with Human Rights Council resolution 17/4 on the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and other relevant international laws and standards, and to ensure the implementation of the United Nations "Protect, Respect and Remedy" Framework, which provides a global standard for upholding human rights in relation to business activities that are connected with Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem;

(3). Requests the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, including in consultation with relevant special procedures mandate holders, to fulfil its mandate accordingly

Oral Revisions for "Follow-up to the report of the UN independent international FFM to investigate the implications of the Israeli settlements on civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Palestinian people ..." Development

U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva

By the end of today's meeting, the UN "Human Rights" Council had adopted six separate condemnations of Israel, six times more than any other state on earth. The resolutions, with obviously redundant messages, are creatively entitled: Human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan; Follow-up to the report of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza conflict; Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan; Right of Palestinian people to self-determination; Human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem; and Follow-up to the report of the UN Independent International Fact-finding Mission - Israeli settlements. United States Ambassador Eileen Donahoe made a statement regretting the Council's bias against Israel - and then made it clear that the U.S. votes against these resolutions were all that the Obama administration would do about it. The U.S. will continue to remain a member and the administration will continue to pour U.S. dollars into the implementation of all of the Council resolutions demonizing Israel.

UN "Human Rights" Council adopts six separate condemnations against Israel Development

U.N. condemns Israel

Today, by a vote of 45 for and 1 against (United States) (1 absent) the UN Human Rights Council supported the vile report produced on Israeli settlements and additional "follow-up" machinery which guarantees its longevity. The sickness of the UN runs even deeper, however, than meets the eye. Last year, the Council adopted a resolution calling for yet another anti-Israel mission to "fact-find" about the facts it had already found. This time it was on settlements. When the resolution calling for the report was adopted in 2012these countries abstained: Cameroon, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Guatemala, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Spain. Elections for the Council were held in November 2012, and Cameroon and Hungary are no longer members. The Israel-bashing report was duly produced. Today, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Guatemala, Italy, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania and Spain changed their votes from an abstention to a vote in favor. In other words, time and again, in the face of the relentless repetition of anti-Israel resolutions through UN bodies, any meager stamina exhibited by the European Union and other democratic states collapses. This is one of the primary facts of modern international relations. Non-democracies are shameless, tireless adversaries, while time and again, democracies do not have what it takes to withstand the pressure. The Czech Republic's pathetic explanation as to why it changed its position was this: we opposed the creation of the fact-finding mission but taking into account that the language of the current resolution is "less harmful" - not as bad as it could have been - we will now vote in favor.

Oral Revisions for "Follow-up to the report of the UN independent international FFM to investigate the implications of the Israeli settlements on civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Palestinian people ..." Development

March 21, 2013

Syrian Golan

UN Human Rights Council adopted today a resolution on "Human Rights in the Occupied Syrian Golan" by a vote of 29 for, 1 against (the United States), and 17 abstentions (including the European Union). The resolution condemns Israel over concern about imaginary Syrians wanting to leave the peaceful Golan Heights and yearning instead for the happy Syrian "motherland." European states were confused about the right thing to do.

Voting Record on Resolution "Human Rights in the Occupied Syrian Golan" Development

The "Gun Ban" sculpture at UN

The United Nations Arms Trade Treaty and gun control by the United Nations. Sec. Kerry announces support for the treaty after the election; before the election the Obama administration deliberately refused to reveal its position. Where are the assurances that U.S. ratification would be subject to clear reservations limiting the reach of the treaty and its effect in American law?

EDITORIAL: Gun control by the U.N. Article

Endless Syrian refugees

Regarding the Syrian refugees, UNHCR officials report that the "single largest recipient of asylum requests overall was the United States." Striking, considering how anti-Americanism is flaunted at the UN.

Syrian Conflict Boosts Number Of Asylum Claims in Industrialized Countries Article

Quiet Assistant Secretary of State Tom Countryman

At the United Nations, the United States is quiet as possible while totalitarians "speak up loud, proud, and often."

On the Rhetoric of the United Nations and the United States Article

Jewish Settlements

The myth of Jewish settlements in int'l law Article

March 20, 2013

Eileen Donahoe, U.S. Ambassador to U.N.

The Obama administration is in full spin mode as the U.S. UN Mission in Geneva (a) circulates the statement of its Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, March 15, (b) entitles it "US remains extremely troubled by HRC's continued biased and disproportionate focus on Israel," and (c) the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations widely circulates it as a courageous defense of Israel. Did anyone bother to read it? It includes: "The legitimacy of this Council will remain in question as long as one country is unfairly and uniquely singled out under its own agenda item. The absurdity and hypocrisy of this agenda item is further amplified by the resolutions brought under it including, yet again, a resolution on the "human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan" motivated by the Syrian regime, at a time when that regime is murdering its own citizens by the tens of thousands. The United States implores Council members to eliminate these biased resolutions and permanent agenda item seven." First, the legitimacy of the Council is not just "in question." The illegitimacy of the Council is so definitive that the state of Israel refuses to participate period and asked the United States not to become a member and legitimize the Council by belonging. Second, the Obama administration itself is one of the primary forces behind the legitimization of the Council. On opening day of this latest session, U.S. Assistant Secretary Esther Brimmer went out of her way to label the Council's achievements as "impressive" and pledge continued administration support. The lamentation of 'bias against Israel' is a throw-away line, given the tremendous boost the Council gets from U.S. membership in terms of credibility and $$. Third, the plea to Council members to change the bias against Israel is meaningless. The Council majority and the majority of the General Assembly have already refused categorically to change the Council's biased agenda, and the administration has not, and will not, take any action whatsoever in response. Refusing to run for a second term would have been the obvious bargaining chip. Resigning would be the only other principled option but it isn't on the table.

Statement by US Ambassador Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe during Item 7 General Debate at the Human Rights Council Development

UN silver screen star: Arafat

UN support for terrorism against the Jewish state is on display today at UN Headquarters, with a special event sponsored by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. The UN advertisement reads: "The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, and the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine are pleased to announce the UN premiere of the documentary "Arafat" dedicated to the legacy of the towering Palestinian leader, whose name has become synonymous with a life-long struggle for the legitimate Palestinian rights. This film, the first documentary about the late Palestinian leader, features exclusive testimonies from his old brothers-in-arms and rare archival footage. "Arafat" is also a commanding account of the complicated Arab and international political dynamics of the time. It transports the viewer from mandatory Palestine to the 1948 war, the founding of Fatah, the different phases of its struggle, both military and diplomatic, until the day Arafat was laid to rest in Ramallah." Invitations to attend also say "Ms. Sahar Baassiri, a Lebanese journalist, who wrote and co-produced "Arafat" in collaboration with the Yasser Arafat Foundation, Ramallah, will introduce the film." (Baassiri is also the wife of the Lebanese Ambassador to the United Nations, a state controlled by terrorist organization Hezbollah.)

Palestinian Rights Committee to host special screening of documentary "Arafat" at UN Headquarters, March 20, 2013 Development

Incompetent UN

A Bad Quarter for the U.N. Article

March 19, 2013

President Obama visits Israel

Obama must hold fast to moral compass on trip to Israel Article

UN Human Rights Council - Geneva

"Human Rights" Council puts forward six resolutions condemning Israel in just one session. (And a total of seven resolutions criticizing each of seven states for all other 192 UN members.) Vote later this week. This is the real double-standards.

Human Rights Council Draft Resolution on "Human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan" Development

Iron Dome protects Israel from Gaza rockets

UN "rights" council pounces on Israel again

Human Rights Council Draft Resolution "Follow-up to the report of the United Nations Independent Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict" Development

UN "rights" council pounces on Israel again & again & again

Human Rights Council Draft Resolution on "Right of the Palestinian people to self-determination" Development

UNHRC Representative from Cuba: Rodolfo Reyes Rodríguez

Now on the table in Geneva at the UN "Human Rights" Council: A draft resolution - to be voted on this week - entitled: "Combatting intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatization," Cuba and Pakistan (on behalf of the Org. of Islamic Cooperation) are the main sponsors. What do they want? A way around freedom of expression. The resolution pushes forward "the establishment of a monitoring mechanism on combating intolerance, negative stereotyping, stigmatization, discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against persons, based on religion or belief." And they don't mean Judaism.

Human Rights Council Draft Resolution "Combating intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatization of, and discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against, persons based on religion or belief" Development

March 18, 2013

Iranian President Ahmadinejad at 2009 Durban Conference

Remember the Durban racist "anti-racism" conferences? The one with genocidal Iranian President Ahmadinejad as the poster child and biggest fan? In the next few days, the UN "human rights" council will adopt a resolution extending the Durban Declaration's lease on life, by deciding "to extend the mandate of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action for a period of three years." How will the Obama administration vote?

HRC Draft Resolution "Intergovernmental Working Group on the Comprehensive Follow-Up to the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance and the Effective Implementation of the DDPA" Development

The Islamic Republic of Iran tabled a decisiom at the UN "human rights" council on "Enhancement of International Cooperation in the field of human rights." Odd, but they didn't mention anything about stopping stoning.

Human Rights Council Draft decision "Enhancement of International Cooperation in the field of human rights" Development

Amb. Alan Baker

An authority on Israeli settlements, Ambassador Alan Baker, analyzes and responds to the latest attack from the UN "human rights" council. The UN may dress it up as law, but it's actually lipstick on a caterpillar.

Biased, Prejudiced, and Unprofessional: The UN Human Rights Council Fact-Finding Mission Report on Israeli Settlements Article