UN Official: Israel Guilty of 'Inhuman' and 'Degrading' Apartheid

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Israel's "systematic oppression" of the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza appears to constitute the "inhuman" and "degrading" practice of "apartheid," charged a United Nations investigator.

Richard Falk, U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories, chronicles Israel's human rights abuses in a searing 22-page report to the U.N. Human Rights Council — his final report after six years in the position. "Through prolonged occupation, with practices and policies which appear to constitute apartheid and segregation, ongoing expansion of settlements, and continual construction of the wall arguably amounting to de facto annexation of parts of the occupied Palestinian territory, the denial by Israel of the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people is evident," he writes.

Danny Muller, coordinator for Middle East Children's Alliance, told Common Dreams, "This report further documents the human rights violations committed against Palestinians — violations that happen every day under the US -funded Israeli occupation and apartheid system."

In East Jerusalem, the "revocation of residency permits" and "forced evictions of Palestinian families," as well as targeted demolition of Palestinian homes, amounts to a "gradual and bureaucratic process of ethnic cleansing," Falk writes.

In the West Bank, Palestinians are subject to military law and face systematic violation of their freedom of movement, assembly, and expression, as well as their rights to education and work, according to the report. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers live under a civilian legal code and enjoy rights that Palestinians living in close proximity do not.

The report charges that the "denial and lack of protection of Palestinian children’s rights" is built into the "Israeli military legal regime." An average of 700 Palestinian children are detained and prosecuted every year, and between January to October of 2013, 441 Palestinian children were displaced due to Israeli demolition of their homes, the report states. A tragic 344 children were killed by Israel's "Operation Cast Lead" attack on Gaza in 2008 and 2009, the report notes.

"Can anyone explain why collective punishment against children is allowed to continue?" asked Muller.

Faulk writes that the "unlawful" Israeli blockade of Gaza, combined with the ongoing occupation and continued military incursions, has contributed to "a serious emergency situation... that threatens the entire population." He continues, "The present situation is dire, as massive infrastructural failures cause daily hardship for the population, who are also at risk of epidemics."

Listed under "Acts potentially amounting to segregation and apartheid," Falk includes the "continuing excessive use of force by Israeli security forces (ISF) and a lack of accountability for violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law." He slams "lethal force against demonstrators," as well as the "policy of targeted killing, which resulted in the killing of 369 Palestinians during the period September 2000 – December 2013." Faulk charges that, "on average, for every person killed as a target of ISF, one or two other persons have been killed in any given operation."

The document, which was reportedly scheduled to be presented to the U.N. Human Rights Council next month, was published last week by pro-Israel group U.N. Watch.

https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2014/02/24-6

Edited February 25, 2014 by Porterhouse

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

[Karee 4,190]

Hey, you can do anything you want when you have a rich powerful uncle (Sam) looking out for you. Not to mention one of the most powerful PACs in the country. I wonder how long it'll take the Israeli govt, to label the guy that wrote the report an anti-semite?

[OriZ 3,157]

Even though I have an issue with alot of things that go on there, Falk lost his credibility a long long long long time ago

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

UN Official: Israel Guilty of 'Inhuman' and 'Degrading' Apartheid

This would only come as a shock to most people in the US. For the rest of the world, this is a given, even in Israel.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

I have some very Jewish friends, and even they were shocked when they visited the promised land.

[OriZ 3,157]

This would only come as a shock to most people in the US. For the rest of the world, this is a given, even in Israel.

I have some very Jewish friends, and even they were shocked when they visited the promised land.

I get what you are saying, there are definitely some things that need to change. But dubbing it Apartheid shows ignorance about what apartheid really is.

[luckytxn 2,264]

Nothing will be done as long as the U.S. allows it.

https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2014/02/24-6