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Category: United Nations

  • Moving Past Apartheid: One-State is not Ideal Justice, but It is Just and Possible

    Once again, Europe’s top diplomats expressed their ‘deep concern’ regarding Israel’s ongoing illegal settlement expansion, again evoking the maxim that Israeli actions “threaten the viability of the two-state solution”.

    This position was communicated by EU Foreign Affairs Chief, Josep Borrell, on November 19, during a video-conference with Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister, Riyad al-Maliki.

    All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law and should be rejected in words and action, regardless of whether they pose a threat to the defunct two-state solution or not.

    Aside from the fact that Europe’s ‘deep concern’ is almost never followed with any substantive action, articulating a legal and moral stance in the context of imaginary solutions is particularly meaningless.

    The question, then, is: “Why does the West continue to use the two-state solution as its political parameter for a resolution to the Israeli occupation of Palestine while, at the same time, failing to take any meaningful measure to ensure its implementation?”

    The answer lies, partly, in the fact that the two-state solution was never devised for implementation, to begin with.  Like the “peace process” and other pretenses, it aimed to promote, among Palestinians and Arabs, the idea that there is a goal worth striving for, despite it being unattainable.

    However, even that goal was, itself, conditioned on a set of demands that were unrealistic at the outset. Historically, Palestinians have had to renounce violence (their armed resistance to Israel’s military occupation), consent to various UN resolutions (even if Israel still rejects those resolutions), accept Israel’s “right” to exist as a Jewish state, and so on. That yet-to-be-established Palestinian State was also meant to be demilitarized, divided between the West Bank and Gaza, but excluding most of occupied East Jerusalem.

    Yet, while warnings that a two-state solution possibility is disintegrating, few bothered to try to understand the reality from a Palestinian perspective. Fed up with the illusions of their own failed leadership, according to a recent poll, two-thirds of Palestinians now agree that a two-state solution is not possible.

    Even the claim that a two-state solution is necessary, at least as a precursor to a permanent one-state solution, is absurd. This argument places yet more obstacles before the Palestinian quest for freedom and rights. If the two-state solution was ever feasible, it would have been achieved when all parties, at least publicly, championed it. Now, the Americans are no longer committed to it and the Israelis have moved past it into whole new territories, plotting the illegal annexation and permanent occupation of Palestine.

    The undeniable truth is that millions of Palestinian Arabs (Muslims and Christians) and Israeli Jews are living between the Jordan River and the Sea. They are already walking on the same earth and drinking the same water, but not as equals. While Israeli Jews represent the privileged, Palestinians are oppressed, caged in behind walls and treated as inferior. To sustain Israeli Jewish privilege as long as possible, Israel uses violence, employs discriminatory laws and, as Professor Ilan Pappe calls it, ‘incremental genocide’ against Palestinians.

    A one-state solution aims to challenge Israeli Jewish privilege, replacing the current racist, apartheid regime with a democratic, equitable, and representative political system that guarantees the rights for all peoples and all faiths, as in any other democratic governance anywhere in the world.

    For that to take place, no shortcuts are required and no further illusions about two states are necessary.

    For many years, we have linked our struggle for Palestinian freedom with the concept of justice, as in ‘no justice no peace’, ‘justice for Palestine’, and so on. So, it is befitting to ask the question, is the one-state solution a just one?

    Perfect justice is not attainable because history cannot be erased. No truly just solution can be achieved when generations of Palestinians have already died as refugees without their freedom or ever going back to their homes. Nevertheless, allowing injustice to perpetuate because ideal justice cannot be obtained is also unfair.

    For years, many of us have advocated a one-state as the most natural outcome of terribly unjust historical circumstances. However, I – and I know of other Palestinian intellectuals, as well – have refrained from making that a cause celèbre, simply because I believe that any initiatives regarding the future of the Palestinian people must be championed by the Palestinian people themselves. This is necessary to prevent the kind of cliquism and, as Antonio Gramsci called it, intellectualism, that wrought Oslo and all of its ills.

    Now that public opinion in Palestine is shifting, mainly against the two-state solution, but also, though gradually, in favor of a one-state, one is able to publicly take this stance as well. We should support the one democratic state because Palestinians in Palestine itself are increasingly advocating such a rightful and natural demand. I believe it is only a matter of time before equal rights within a one-state paradigm become the common cause of all Palestinians.

    Advocating dead ‘solutions’, as the Palestinian Authority, the EU and others continue to do, is a waste of precious time and effort. All attention should now focus on helping Palestinians obtain their rights, including the Right of Return for Palestinian refugees and holding Israel morally, politically and legally accountable for failing to respect international law.

    Living as equals in one state that demolishes all walls, ends all sieges and breaks all barriers is one of these fundamental rights that should not be up for negotiations.

    The post Moving Past Apartheid: One-State is not Ideal Justice, but It is Just and Possible first appeared on Dissident Voice.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • The Emperor Has No Clothes

    I reviewed Sra. Michelle Bachelet’s Report on Venezuela, and was quite outraged at her lack of consideration and due diligence. I will, in a moment, tell everyone why this report needs to be trashed, but even before that, I think I should mention two systemic flaws about this type of reporting regardless of which country it is written for.

    First

    The Report treats Venezuela as an isolated entity, along with other entities, such as the United States, Colombia,… floating in separate air space, without impacting or being impacted by any other country, in any way, shape, or form.

    Everyone knows, however, that the truth is otherwise, that the funds the United States government has allocated to bring down the Maduro Bolivarian Government are probably more than some small countries’ annual budget, and that the United States’ sanctions to punish the Venezuelan people and deprive them of food, medicine, and fuel amount to no less than crimes against humanity. That clearly tells me that Venezuela is on earth and not in space, and both its government and its people are greatly impacted by the actions of other countries, and in particular the United States. It also, in my mind, invalidates the entire UN Report, but it takes spine, and we all know that Sra. Bachelet would not remain in office long if she attempted to produce one such report that takes into consideration all players influencing Venezuela and its people’s rights.

    In this report, there is no mention of international criminals, such as Elliot Abrams (what a shame), who have been convicted in his own country and is now running loose, being employed by the Trump Administration to bring death and horror upon the people of Venezuela, as they did in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala,… CAN A TRUE HUMAN RIGHTS OBSERVER REALLY REMAIN SILENT ON THESE ISSUES?

    Second

    The expression “Political Prisoner” is loosely defined and even more loosely utilized. A political prisoner is someone who has been imprisoned or subjected to other restrictions by the State, because of his beliefs, party affiliations, or peaceful protest. Such description is generally accepted by most, but loosely used to include violent opposition as well. As Fidel Castro would often ask: “Don’t we have the right to defend ourselves?” This issue is seldom addressed by ‘human rights’ organizations. Many people who are presented as political prisoners are often violent individuals of no independent character who are funded by the United States government or private individuals, somehow tied to the US government. Unless the HR report presents a list of the individuals, their alleged crimes against the State, and their investigated claims, one can never be certain if they can be categorized as political prisoners.

    In addition, repressive actions by ‘friendly governments’ are oftentimes ignored whereas ‘unfriendly governments’ are placed under constant scrutiny. As an example, how can we put Venezuela under a magnifying glass when daily crimes by the repressive State in Saudi Arabia are often ignored? In my opinion, those who place the Bolivarian State right next to the Saudi Arabian Dictatorship must be mentally deranged.

    The report is all unproven innuendos and play-with-words. It keeps referencing itself so many times that one starts wondering where the meat is. What is the real content? Where are the emperor’s clothes?

    And Now For the Meat

    The first paragraph  (graves vulneraciones)… que se han documentado en el pais. (POR FAVOR, QUE SON ESTAS?)

    Where are your research data?

    So where is the meat?

    The Seventh and Eighth Paragraphs

    Sra. Bachelet admits that the Bolivarian government announced its commitment to cooperate with her men to deal with the various themes. “The issue is complicated,” claims Sra. Bachelet. Why? The Venezuela government’s cooperation, which is pretty significant, is mentioned in a one-sentence blurb, perhaps intended to imply the Bolivarian government’s admission of its guilt which would be not true.

    The next paragraph (one of very few statistics) refers to 66 deaths, 52 of them allegedly inflicted by Security Forces. What about the other 14? Venezuelan opposition is notorious for miscategorizing pro-government deaths as its own, and many opposition members walk around armed. Is there any verification of such claims?

    Speaking of efficiency, there are, of course, many government functions that could be done better and much more efficiently if more funds were available, and the country’s wealth wasn’t robbed so much by the United States and the European Union countries, such as the case of the $2 billion British robbery of Venezuelan gold. Sra. Bachelet, how many more kids could receive milk and other alimentation if the stolen gold could be handed over to the constitutional government of Venezuela?

    Does honesty count any more in world politics?

    This article was posted on Friday, November 27th, 2020 at 5:12pm and is filed under Opinion, President Nicolas Maduro, United Nations, Venezuela.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Mental health, happiness of Australian children among the worst of rich countries, according to UNICEF reporT

    By Professor Paula Gerber and Sue West

    A report published by UNICEF last week examined the happiness and wellbeing of children in the world’s richest countries. The data from the report was used to also compile a “league table”, and the results are a source of shame for Australia. Not only did we rank 32 out of 38 overall, but when it comes to the mental health of our children, we’re doing even worse – 35 out of 38 countries.

    What’s going wrong?

    Why are children in “the Lucky Country” not enjoying high levels of life satisfaction? Why is suicide the highest cause of death among adolescents aged 15 to 19? Australia, we have a lot of work to do – it’s clear that wealth doesn’t buy happiness.

    The data for this report was collected before the global pandemic struck, demonstrating that Australian children were already struggling. COVID-19 will only exacerbate that. Although children don’t suffer the worst of the virus’ health impacts, they’re the group that will most acutely experience the longer-term negative impacts.

    The statistics regarding youth suicide should sound an alarm. In Australia, we experience 9.7 deaths by suicide per 100,000 adolescents aged between 15 and 19. The vast majority of wealthy countries have far lower rates than this, starting with Greece, which experiences only 1.4 deaths by suicide per 100,000 adolescents aged between 15 and 19.

    We already know that Indigenous young people are three times more likely to kill themselves than non-Indigenous youths. Concerted and targeted efforts to improve the mental health of children must be inclusive of Indigenous children, families and communities.

    The climate effect

    How children feel about their future affects their mental health, and the data reveals that our children worry a lot about the environment:

    “In Australia, 59% of young people consider climate change to be a threat to their safety (only 14% disagree). Climate change and plastic pollution top their list of environmental concerns. Almost 90% want to move to renewable energy, while only 3% want to ‘stay with fossil fuels’. Three out of four adolescents in Australia want their government to act.”

    This suggests that acting on climate change would have a direct positive impact on children’s sense of wellbeing and contribute to positive mental health outcomes.

    Australia cannot ignore this damning report. We must promise our children that we will do better, and that by 2030, all children in Australia will be thriving. This requires action on many fronts.

    Start early

    We need to get things right for children starting in early childhood, when 90% of brain development occurs. The evidence tells us that children thrive when they have strong relationships, supportive environments, and social infrastructure that supports families.

    Consult children and families

    A key factor in children’s happiness is whether they feel they have a voice. Therefore, reforms to improve their wellbeing must be made with children, not just be about them. Children and their families must be included in the design and implementation of all initiatives that concern them. This is consistent with Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which provides that children have the right to express their views, and to have those views taken into account.

    Connect policies

    Social, education, health, environmental and economic policies, programs and services all have a bearing on children’s lives. Carefully integrated policies that complement and strengthen one another and provide the environments and conditions for optimal child development are key to improving child wellbeing. These include:

    • reducing poverty, and ensuring that all children have access to the resources they need
    • improving access to affordable and high-quality early-years childcare for all children
    • improving mental health services for children and adolescents.

    Although the UNICEF report is damning, it’s not all bad news. Australia scored higher for children’s physical health (28th), and their academic and life skills (19th). And we were ranked higher than New Zealand (35th) and the United States, which came absolute last on all three measures – mental health, physical wellbeing, and academic and life skills.

    America’s ranking is not surprising, given it’s the only country in the world not to have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and we’ve all seen how the Trump administration treats children.

    What is surprising is that Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has not been asked any questions about this report. He’s not been required to explain why Australia’s children are so unhappy, and what he intends to do about it. This is in stark contrast to New Zealand, Where Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been grilled about why New Zealand was ranked so poorly.

    This report gives us a baseline from which we can hopefully only go up. But COVID-19 will make that harder. Children’s wellbeing and mental health are likely to decline as a result of lockdowns, school closures, strains on family relationships, and economic uncertainty. To minimise the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, governments must provide effective support that minimises inequalities amongschildren.

    As the report notes:

    “A child living in a well-off family, with a room of their own, a good internet connection, and parents who have the time, skills and confidence to support home learning will suffer the educational impact of school closures less than a child in a family with poorer material and human resources.”

    It’s up to governments, families and communities to all play a part in helping to ensure that children growing up in “the Lucky Country” are cushioned from the worst effects of COVID19, and grow up in a country that prioritises children having a positive childhood and future.

    Paula Gerber is a Professor in the Monash Law Faculty and an internationally renowned scholar with expertise in international human rights law generally, with a particular focus on children’s rights and LGBTI rights.

     Sue West is the Associate Director at the Centre for Community Child Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Royal Children’s Hospital.

    This article is republished from Monash Lens. Read the original article here. 

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    This post was originally published on Castan Centre for Human Rights Law.

  • Take No Prisoners (rebroadcast)

    This episode was originally broadcast July 28, 2018.

    In December 1944, Adolf Hitler surprised the Allies with a secret counterattack through the Ardennes forest, known today as the Battle of the Bulge. In the carnage that followed, there was one incident that top military commanders hoped would be concealed. It’s the story of an American war crime nearly forgotten to history.


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    This post was originally published on Reveal.

  • “An indispensable element of my mission”: UN poverty envoy hears stories of poverty and discrimination in East London

    by Kate Garner Continuing his investigation into the impact of austerity in the UK, Philip Alston, the UN Special Rapporteur on poverty and human rights, heard moving testimonies from local people and organisations in Newham as they described their experiences of poverty and discrimination in the capital. Over the past week, Alston has visited different […]

    This post was originally published on Human Rights Consortium.