Posted on 04/14/2005 7:39:29 AM PDT by SJackson
GENEVA - The United Nations Commission on Human Rights on Thursday condemned Israel's use of force against Palestinian civilians and called on Israel to stop building settlements in the occupied territories.
The 53-member state body, at its annual session, easily adopted three resolutions on Israel presented by Arab countries.
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The United States and Australia were alone in voting against both the resolution on settlements and one on the Golan Heights.
Britain, Canada, Germany and Italy were among those joining the United States in voting against a text condemning Israel for use of force, including executions, and "continued systematic violations" in the West Bank and Gaza Strip occupied since 1967.
Israel, which has no vote at the six-week forum, angrily rejected the resolutions as "one-sided."
The resolution on settlements was adopted by 39 countries in favor, two against with 12 abstentions in a public vote.
It urged Israel to "reverse the settlement policy in the occupied territories," including East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, and "as a first step towards their dismantlement to stop immediately" their expansion.
It urged Israel to confiscate arms and enforce sanctions "with the aim of preventing acts of violence by Israeli settlers," but made no mention of Palestinian militant violence.
"The continued settlements are an obstacle to peace," Egypt's ambassador Naela Gabr said on behalf of Arab sponsors.
U.S. ambassador Rudy Boschwitz rejected the settlement text as biased, adding: "There is much talk of the credibility of the Commission. Imbalanced and unjust resolutions of this type do much to bring that credibility into question."
Israeli diplomat Itzhak Levanon denounced the forum for "selectivity" in singling out Israel each year for censure.
The resolution on settlements, he declared, created a "disincentive for Palestinians to move on in implementing a first phase of the road map on stopping terrorism."
The settlements issue should be left to the permanent status negotiations as laid down in the 1993 Oslo accords, he said.
"If there is a mutual recognition that there will soon be negotiations for the permanent status, and that this includes the settlements, and if there is a dismantlement of settlements on the ground that will begin in a matter of weeks, what is the relevance of such a resolution?" Levanon said.
Palestinian ambassador Mohammad Abu-Koash accused Israel of being "out of step with the world."
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights on ...
???..this is the same commission that had Iraq and Cuba as
speakers at the UN right?
Doogle
= purpose for U.N.'s existence.
Same ole UN (Unwanted Numbnuts) bloviating about Israel. The UN is in need of a serious session with a bottle of Metamucil and Roto-Rooter.
SYSIA= SYRIA
This pronouncement follows quickly on the heels of the other pronouncement outlawing the use of nukes by terrorists.
Busy day for the UN...
The UN should have one thing on its agenda -- genocide in Sudan.
Until they deal with the mass murder, approaching Rawandan proportions, they have no moral authority to say anything. They are the uberhypocrites. Annan should have gone before the War Crimes Tribunal over Rwanda.
Sudan is on the UN's Human Rights Commission.
There is one thing we can say about the UN, the bloody scalawag lot of them are consistent! If something is anti-Israel or anti-USA they UN will be for it. The UN is about as relevant and useful as suntan lotion and a bikini at the North Pole.
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