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Resources updated Friday, July 21, 2017

July 21, 2017

Musa Kulaklıkaya (on the right), the SESRIC Director General at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, who made the inciting remarks at a U.N. conference (File photo)

A participant in a two-day event organized by a U.N. committee on the "Question of Jerusalem" fanned the flames by claiming Israel is threatening the "Mosque of Al-Aqsa", necessitating Muslims to "defend" it. The statement was made by a former Turkish ambassador, Musa Kulaklıkaya, at a conference organized by the U.N.'s notoriously anti-Israel Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People on July 21, 2017 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

In addition to inciting further violence as Palestinians riot over security measures on the Temple Mount following the murder of two Israeli policemen, Kulaklıkaya repeatedly accused Israel of a policy of "Judaization" of Jerusalem.

In his words:

"The political challenges are reflected in two main issues: (1) The illegal Israeli Settlements; and (2) The Israeli Strategy of Judaization of the City...Judaization of Palestinian land is particularly evident in Al-Quds...

Meanwhile, Israel continues its attempts to change the civilizational and religious image of the city threatening, first and foremost, the Islamic sanctities in Al-Quds Al-Sharif. In particular, it has been observed, during the last few years, that Israeli threats to the Blessed Mosque of Al-Aqsa, the first qibla and third holy mosque in Islam, have been extremely increased. This urges the need for the Muslims to defend the Blessed Mosque of Al-Aqsa, its first qibla, and all other Islamic sanctities in Al-Quds Al-Sharif city through empowering the Palestinian people and institutions of the city of Al-Quds and supporting their steadfastness against the brutal Israeli policies and plans.
...
Capacity building programmes and training workshops can be organized for the Palestinian Lawyers in Al-Quds with the aim of enhancing their knowledge, experience and capacities of understanding the international laws as well as the Israeli legal system in issues related to human rights and other challenges of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem, particularly their struggle against the Israeli policies of Judaization of the city such as home eviction, home demolition and residency revocation.
...
To counter Israeli strategy of Judaization of the Al Quds Al Sherif City, there is a vital need to revive and support the preservation of Islamic heritage and economic development of the City..."

After Arab Muslims kill Arab Druze, U.N. incites more violence Development

A graphic promoting the "Question of Palestine" conference in Baku, Azerbaijan

A United Nations "expert" suggested that the General Assembly should commission a study into the "status and membership" of Israel at the United Nations. The statement was made on July 21, 2017 by Michael Lynk, the "Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967," at a conference on the "Question of Jerusalem" held in Baku, Azerbaijan. The conference was organized by the U.N.'s Israel-bashing Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. Lynk was awarded his position as a special rapporteur in 2016 despite past comments comparing Israel to Nazi Germany.

In his words:

"Turning to the issue of leveraging, I would like to advance three ideas...

1. The United Nations General Assembly is in a position to commission legal studies designed to bring Israel into compliance with the United Nations' body of resolutions on Jerusalem. These studies should include (i) a legal assessment of the obligations upon the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions under common Article 1 to ensure respect and compliance by a High Contracting Party that is in persistent breach of its duties and responsibilities under the Fourth Geneva Convention; (ii) a legal and social assessment of the status of Jerusalem as a Holy City to three world religions and how that may be preserved both while occupation continues and under future conditions of a just settlement of the Question of Jerusalem; (iii) a legal study into the status and membership of a UN member that persistently defies the direction of the Security Council and/or the General Assembly; and (iv) a legal study of the different forms that the future political status of Jerusalem may take, and which forms would be broadly compliant with international law and which ones would not."

U.N. "Human Rights" Council "Expert" launches initiative to kick Israel out of the U.N. Development

The scene of the stabbing attack

Three Israelis were killed and another was seriously wounded in a stabbing attack in the Israeli settlement of Halamish in the West Bank on Friday night when a terrorist broke into a home and stabbed its residents.

Paramedics said two men, one in his 60s and another in his 40s, and a woman in her 40s, have died of their wounds sustained in the attack in a home in a settlement. The three were initially listed in critical condition. Earlier reports said a 70-year-old woman was among those critically injured. A fourth woman, in her 60s, was taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem in serious condition.

According to a preliminary investigation, the terrorist, a Palestinian youth from a nearby village, arrived in the settlement on foot armed with a knife, climbed a fence and chose the last house on a street near it.

The perpetrator broke a window and entered the home, surprising the four people inside, launching his stabbing spree, Channel 10 reported.

Palestinian media identified him as Omar Al-Abed, 19, from the village of Kubar, near Ramallah. An IDF soldier on leave in a nearby home, upon hearing the sounds, realized that a terror attack was being carried out and shot the terrorist through the window, Channel 10 reported.

It was not clear if the perpetrator was killed.

The attack came after a day of heavy clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police in and around Jerusalem over new security measures at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem following a terror attack last Friday in which three Israeli Arabs killed two Israeli police officers at the site.

Israeli media, citing Palestinian sources, reported that two hours before the attack in Halamish on Friday, the terrorist had published a post on Facebook calling for the need to defend the al-Aqsa mosque, which sits on the Temple Mount alongside the Dome of the Rock sanctuary.

Security forces said they were looking for any additional suspects in the Halamish attack.

MDA paramedics described a "very difficult" scene in the house in the settlement, also known as Neve Tsuf.

"When we went into the house we saw four casualties lying [on the floor] with stab wounds. Three of them were unconscious, with no pulse and [were] not breathing," said Ohad Amitoun with Magen David Adom.

"Another 60-year-old woman was conscious and suffered stab wounds to her upper body. She was treated at the scene and was evacuated by an MDA intensive care ambulance.She was in moderate-serious condition," he added.

Three Dead, One Wounded in Palestinian Stabbing Attack Document

Former president of the U.N. General Assembly, John Ashe, who was involved in the corruption scandal (File photo)

"A suspended United Nations diplomat's testimony has provided a glimpse at the seedier side of international diplomacy as a Chinese billionaire stands trial on charges that he shared hundreds of thousands of dollars with ambassadors he thought could help him realize his dream to build a permanent center in China to serve less-advantaged countries.

Francis Lorenzo, 50, stepped off the witness stand Wednesday after testifying against Chinese billionaire Ng Lap Seng for over a week.

Ng, 69, has pleaded not guilty to charges he paid bribes to Lorenzo and a former top U.N. official to gain support to build a U.N. conference center in Macau. He remains confined to a Manhattan apartment on $50 million bail.

Lorenzo testified Ng paid him up to $50,000 monthly to push the ambitious multibillion-dollar project along and funneled another $300,000 to former U.N. General Assembly President John Ashe, who was charged in the case before he died last year in an accident at home.

Over several days, Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Zolkind elicited from Lorenzo an unsavory depiction of the ease with which Lorenzo and Ashe accepted and sometimes solicited tens of thousands of dollars to supplement modest salaries as ambassadors.

Within months of meeting Ng in late 2009, Lorenzo testified, he agreed to supplement his $72,000 salary at the U.N. with $20,000 a month as president of Ng's new not-for-profit, South South News.

'Did you have any experience in media or in news reporting?' Zolkind asked.

'No,' Lorenzo said.

He said at Ashe's request, he helped arrange a no-show job that paid Ashe's wife $2,500 monthly. He said Ashe asked Ng to fund a family trip to New Orleans and to pay for construction of a basketball court at his home. In 2014, Ashe asked Ng for a contribution to help his presidency and Ng sent $200,000, Lorenzo said.

After Ashe solicited a $20,000 contribution to fund a U.N. reception, Lorenzo passed along only $16,000 to Ashe..."

UN ambassador testifies he didn't know what 'bribe' meant Article

Israeli ambassador to UNESCO in Paris Carmel Shama HaCohen

Israel: UNESCO is a full partner in Palestinian incitement Article