Alternative News and Political Opinion in video and print.
Be Sure to Visit All 3 World United Websites for a different perspective in the World of News, Music and Awakening Topics.
The United States has blocked a Moroccan-brokered UN
Security Council call for a ceasefire in the Israeli-Gaza conflict, labeling it
"unbalanced."
“The draft press statement failed to address the
root cause of the current escalation – the continuing barrage of rocket attacks
from Gaza against Israel,'' the spokeswoman for the US Mission to the UN,
Erin Pelton, said in a statement.
He added that the “counter-productive” statement
failed to support “the ongoing diplomacy toward de-escalation of violence
and a durable outcome that ends the rocket attacks on Israeli cities and towns
and restores a broader calm.”
Morocco proposed the statement last Thursday, and it
would have been adopted automatically if no UN Security Council member spoke
against it before 14:00 GMT. Security Council press statements require
unanimous approval.
Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said that document will
focus on putting an end to the violence by a negotiated a ceasefire, support
for international and regional efforts to settle the crisis peacefully and a
call for the resumption of talks between Palestinians and Israelis on a wider
range of problems.
Churkin sharply criticized the way the Moroccan statement
was handled by the Council, accusing Western governments of “filibustering”
it. He argued that three days was ample time to provide written comments, while
Council members only commented orally.
Some say the Russian resolution has little chance of
being adopted as it also does not claim that Hamas rocket attacks are the cause
of the current conflict.
Russia is ready to propose a full resolution aimed at
stopping the violence between Israel and Gaza if the West continues to
“filibuster” the UN Security Council statement on the crisis.
“Russia is ready… to submit a draft resolution focusing
on three key components,” Russia’s envoy to the UN, Vitaly Churkin told the
UN Security Council during consultations on the Gaza conflict arranged at
Russia’s initiative.
Morocco proposed a statement calling for a halt to the
hostilities last Thursday and since then diplomats have had enough time to
present their amendments in writing, Churkin said. “The fact that they
introduced these amendments orally… after three days of having the Moroccan
text at their disposal, they could, at least, have prepared their amendments in
writing,” he said. “To me it unfortunately looks like a little bit of
a filibuster attempt.”
Churkin did not name any one country that has been
hampering progress and indicated “quite transparently that they will not be
prepared to go along with any reaction of the Security Council.”
“Maybe it’s just a laid back attitude in a situation
where we cannot afford procrastination,” he added.
According to Churkin the key components of Russia’s
resolution would be the following: An end to the violence by a negotiated a
ceasefire, support for international and regional efforts to settle the crisis
peacefully and a call for the resumption of talks between Palestinians and
Israelis on a wider range of problems.
Russia is also calling for an emergency ministerial
meeting of the Quartet on the Middle East – the United States, Russia, the
United Nations and the European Union. “We believe the quartet should also
actively play its role in trying to prevent further aggravation of the
extremely dangerous situation,” Churkin said.
In the meantime, the text of what appears to be a draft
document has been leaked on the internet.
One article of the six-point document urges all parties
to address the serious humanitarian and economic needs in Gaza, and to allow
for the safe and unhindered access of humanitarian assistance and personnel to
the Palestinian people and to ensure the unimpeded provision of humanitarian
supplies throughout Gaza.
Some 110 Palestinians, including at least 24 children and
toddlers and 13 women have been killed since Israel launched its Operation
Pillar of Defense against Gaza. Meanwhile three Israelis were killed in rocket
fire on Thursday, a day after the IDF assassinated the head of the Hamas
military wing, Ahmed Jabari.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon is visiting Cairo in a bid to broker
a peace deal between the two sides as the threat of a ground invasion looms. On
Monday, Israel warned Hamas it will step up its offensive in the Gaza Strip in
36 hours if it does not cease rocket fire.
Russia has revised an anti-Syria draft resolution forwarded by the United Nations Security Council, removing condemnation of Damascus.
Russia has removed the statement in the previous draft, which calls on the Council to “strongly condemn the disproportionate use of force by Syrian authorities.”
Submitting the revised draft to the UNSC on Friday, the Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said that his country was concerned about Western plans for Syria.
He said Moscow has its own limits on agreeing with the European and US demands and threatening Damascus with sanctions over the ongoing protests in Syria, while ignoring all reference to violence perpetrated by the opposition groups.
"If the requirement is that we drop all reference to violence coming from extreme opposition, that's not going to happen," Churkin told reporters.
Syria has been experiencing deadly violence since mid-March, with demonstrations being held both against and in favor of the head of state. Damascus says more than 2,000 members of its Army and security forces have been killed in the violence.
Damascus blames foreign-backed armed gangs for the tension. However, the Syrian opposition says the responsibility for the unrest rests squarely with the government.
Churkin rejected the part of the draft, which demands imposition of an arms embargo on Syria.
He accused that such embargo favored by the West is a disproportionate one, in which the siege is enforced against the Syrian government, while the country's opposition are supplied with weapons.
The German ambassador, Peter Wittig, said that the Russian proposals were insufficient, saying that the revised draft resolution did not meet the Western demands. The United States and French envoys also accused Russia of distracting the Security Council from taking action in Syria.
The draft resolution came on the same day, when the Syrian capital suffered from two explosions that killed at least 55 people, mostly civilians, injured more than a hundred people, and caused serious destruction to the buildings and cars in the vicinity.
Churkin also said the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had become the target of 'regime change.'
Their aim is to enter the beseiged Palestinian terrirtory with as many Egyptian volunteers as possible. This in order to highlight that Egypt's economic blockade of Gaza continues and must end following the fall of the Mubarak regime.
The activists make it to the town of Al Arish, 50 km from the Gaza border, where they're greeted by local leaders who promise they'll supply hundreds of volunteers to show solidarity with the suffering of Gazans. The leaders call for Egypt to revoke its peace treaty with Israel and for former President Husni Mubarak to be prosecuted.
We've arrived in Al Arish to a good welcome. But we did have to pass through about 12 checkpoints and the army tried to persuade us not to come. But now the people here are promising to accompany the convoy to Gaza.
The morning of the planned march to the Gaza border starts with much optimism. But things soon turn nasty. A small group of suspected pro-Mubarak agitators accuse the activists of being spies and even Israelis. They say Egyptians should sort their own problems out before they worry about anybody else. Our crew is forced to stop filming, but soon afterwards we are attacked with shovels and forced to beat a hasty retreat.
Eventually the activists make it to the Gaza border but with severely depleted numbers. Most of the Egyptians have been scared off from joining their protest march to the Rafah border crossing. After 5 hours they are allowed through with one bag of cement. They are the first peace delegation to enter Gaza since the Egyptian revolution.
But their breakthrough is only symbolic. It will take a mass mobilization from the Egyptian people themselves to effect real change.
The data, released by the bureau on Saturday, indicates that the Israeli regime started over 114 settlement units during the 10-month construction freeze Tel Aviv announced in November 2009, Ha'aretz newspaper reported.
The 114 units, the construction of which began during the so-called freeze have now been completed, as well as over 1,175 other units that started constructing before the partial moratorium, which excluded al-Quds (Jerusalem).
The data also reveals that construction of over 427 housing units has begun since the expiration of the freeze in late September.
The figures released by the Central Bureau of Statistics are, however, based on partial information and do not cover a reportedly dramatic rise in illegal construction in West Bank outposts, which are not officially documented.
It does not include caravans and tents that are often placed in illegal outposts in order to settle in the land, either.
Israel's insistence to resume its West Bank settlement construction projects -- deemed by the international community as illegal -- prompted Palestinian Authority negotiators to walk out a new round of US-sponsored direct talks.
Palestinians have repeatedly voiced concern about Israel's efforts to wipe out the Islamic and Palestinian identity of the occupied territories, East al-Quds in particular, to effectively render the establishment of a future Palestinian state unfeasible.
The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has slammed the US for vetoing a UN Security Council resolution condemning illegal settlement activities by Israel on occupied Palestinian territories.
"It is a devastating blow to the credibility of international efforts to resume the peace process," OIC said in a statement on Saturday.
The Islamic organization with 57 member states said that the US move “will only encourage Israel to continue its violations.”
The group also urged the Israeli regime to end its settlement activities in the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
Despite the support of the Security Council's 14 other members of the Arab-backed resolution, the United States used its veto power to block the resolution.
Iran also joined other states to condemn the US for blocking the resolution.
“The resolution was approved by the permanent members of the Security Council (except the US), the member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and other UN members,” said Iran's ambassador to the UN Mohammad Khazaei late Friday after the council wrapped up voting on the resolution.
However, the single “no” vote by the US could annul the unanimous “yes” vote by the other fourteen members, the Iranian official added.
“The fact that a single vote can revoke the vote of the majority shows the Security Council is structurally weak,” Khazaei noted.
“This US move once again undermined the credibility of the Security Council,” the top Iranian diplomat went on to say.
Fourteen countries on Friday voted in favor of a resolution condemning Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank and East al-Quds, but US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice vetoed it.
“Such cases show the Security Council cannot guarantee to safeguard people's lives and possessions,” he noted.
The United Nation has repeatedly condemned Israel for defying international calls to halt its settlement construction activities.
Palestinians view Israel's unrelenting settlement construction activities as a major hurdle smothering their efforts to establish an independent state on the territories Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War.
According to data from the Palestinian Information Center, Israel has demolished 995 Palestinian homes and displaced 5,783 individuals -- among them 3,109 children -- in the occupied al-Quds since the start of 2000.
The US has vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have condemned Israeli settlements as "illegal" and called for an immediate halt to all settlement building.
All 14 other Security Council members voted in favour of the resolution, which was backed by the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), on Friday.
Mark Lyall Grant, the British ambassador to the UN, speaking on behalf of his country, France and Germany, condemned Israeli settlements in the West Bank. "They are illegal under international law," he said.
He added that the European Union's three biggest nations hope that an independent state of Palestine will join the UN as a new member state by September 2011.
The veto by the administration of Barack Obama, the US president, is certain to anger Arab countries and Palestinian supporters around the world.
An abstention would have angered the Israelis, the closest ally of Washington in the region, as well as Democratic and Republican supporters of Israel in the US Congress.
The UN says it opposes settlements in principal, but says that the UN Security Council is not the appropriate venue for resolving the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN, told council members that the veto "should not be misunderstood to mean we support settlement activity".
"While we agree with our fellow council members and indeed with the wider world about the folly and illegitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity, we think it unwise for this council to attempt to resolve the core issues that divide Israelis and Palestinians," she said.
Palestinians said the veto is counterproductive to the peace process and will help Israel maintain illegal buildings.
"The American veto does not serve the peace process and encourages Israel to continue settlements, and to escape the
obligations of the peace process," said Nabil Abu Rdainah, a close aide to Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president.
Al Jazeera's Cal Perry in Ramallah, West Bank, said the decision is "not going down well in the occupied West Bank".
"People are really wondering when some action is going to be taken," he said.
"People here are tired of a lack of a peace process; they are tired that the two sides are not talking; they are tired that they continue to hear, especially the US president Barack Obama continue to say that human dignity cannot be denied.
"He's been saying it all throughout the protests in Eqypt; he's been saying it all through the protests that continue to sweep across the region and the Palestinian people are saying: 'What about us?'"
PA pressured
Earlier, the Obama administration had tried to exert pressure on the Palestinian Authority to drop the UN resolution in exchange for other measures, but this was rejected by the authoirty.
The decision to back the resolution was made unanimously by the PLO's executive and the central committee of Abbas's Fatah movement on Friday, at a meeting to discuss Obama's appeal to Abbas by telephone a day earlier.
"The Palestinian leadership has decided to proceed to the UN Security Council, to pressure Israel to halt settlement activities. The decision was taken despite American pressure," said Wasel Abu Yousef, a PLO executive member.
Obama, who had said Israeli settlements in territories it captured in a 1967 war are illegal and unhelpful to the peace process, has argued that the resolution could shatter hopes of reviving the stalled talks.
In a 50-minute phone call on Thursday, he asked Abbas to drop the resolution and settle for a non-binding statement condemning settlement expansion, Palestinian officials said.
'Goldstone 2'
"Caving in to American pressure and withdrawing the resolution will constitute Goldstone 2," said a Palestinian official, speaking on terms of anonymity before the meeting.
He was referring to the wave of protest in October 2009 accusing Abbas of caving in to US pressure by agreeing not to submit for adoption a UN report that accused Israel and Hamas of war crimes during the invasion of Gaza two years ago.
Abbas maintains he insisted on submitting the report.
The Palestinians say continued building flouts the internationally-backed peace plan that will permit them to create a viable, contiguous state on the 1967 land, after a treaty with Israel to end its occupation and 62 years of conflict.
Israel says this is an excuse for avoiding peace talks and a precondition never demanded before during 17 years of negotiations, which has so far produced no agreement.
The diplomatic standoff is complicated by the effects of Middle East turmoil on the Arab League, whose members backed the resolution.
Egypt, a dominant member, and Tunisia are preoccupied with their transitions from deposed autocracies, and protests are flaring in Libya, Yemen and Bahrain.
Washington is trying to revive peace talks stalled since September over Israel's refusal to extend a moratorium on settlement building and Abbas's refusal to negotiate further until the Israelis freeze the illegal buildings.
'Nothing to lose'
Obama initially pressured Israel to maintain the moratorium only to relent in the run-up to the 2010 US mid-term elections to avoid, some analysts said, alienating key voters.
Instead of the resolution, Obama told Abbas he would back a fact-finding visit by a delegation of the UN Security Council to the occupied territories.
One PLO official said the leadership was determined not to cave in "even if our decision leads to a diplomatic crisis with the Americans", adding: "Now we have nothing to lose."
Since 2000, 14 Security Council resolutions have been vetoed by one or more of the five permanent members - Britain, China, France, Russia and the US. Of those, 10 were US vetoes, nine of them related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon's spokesman -- Martin Nesirky -- has laid down the rules in regards to what the Secretary General did -- and did not -- want to talk about.
Secretary General Ban spoke on the latest developments in the Midle East - most notably in Bahrain -- calling for sincere dialogue between the people and their governments. He did not -- however -- touch upon the pending resolution in the Security Council condemning Israeli settlements.
At noon -- Press TV asked the spokesman -- Nesirky -- about the resolution -- which will be voted upon on Friday -- and got this response.
American UN Ambassador Susan Rice has reportedly offered Palestinian diplomats a deal where the U.S. would agree to a statement affirming the Security Council "does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity."
The Palestinian Authrority has rejected the American offer -- and a vote on a stronger -- binding resolution could come soon.
American officals have said repeatedly that the Security Council is not the place to hash out the issue -- and an American veto on the stronger measure is likely.
Critics are having a field day with the American flip flop -- including former American U.N. Ambassador John Bolton -- who questions President Obama's handling of the Egyptian revolution and other developments in the Middle East.
By close of business at the UN on Friday -- compromise statements were reportedly delivered to Arab diplomats at the UN -- with Security Council President Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti of Brazil advocating a stronger "presidential statement."
It is not known how that statement was recieved -- or if it will be voted on in the Security Council.
If nothing changes overnight -- however -- most signs point to yet another American veto
Protected by Tel Aviv's US-equipped army, Israeli settlers terrorize, harass and murder Palestinians on a daily basis without fear of punishment. (File photo)
Thousands of US citizens, American groups and organizations have called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to pass a resolution against Israeli war crimes in Palestine.
The move comes as the UNSC prepares to debate a resolution on illegal Israeli settlement activities in the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
The draft Security Council resolution reaffirms that Israel's settlements "are illegal and constitute a major obstacle to the achievement of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace" in the Middle East.
However, the administration of US President Barak Obama has threatened to use its veto power to once again protect Israel from abiding by international law.
"New York is not the place to resolve the longstanding conflict and outstanding issues between the Israelis and the Palestinians," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had said in January, in a statement which almost certainly affirms Obama's plan to veto the vote.
On Wednesday, political activist Richard Grave, told IRNA that America's credibility in the world is threatened by its constant protection of Israel.
In a petition, launched by the US Campaign to End Israeli Occupation, the signatories warned that a veto would only damage Obama's reliability, as it would clearly contradict what the US president has been saying for the past 19 months.
Since his rise to power in 2009, Obama has made a settlement freeze the focus of his attempts to resurrect direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
The signatories also reminded the US president of his 2009 speech in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, where he said the United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements and urged Israel to stop its construction activity.
Tel Aviv's continued construction in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds is seen as the main bone of contention between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and is blamed for derailing several rounds of talks between the two sides.
Apart from that, according to rights groups, Israeli settlers terrorize, harass and kill Palestinians on a daily basis without fear of recrimination or legal ramifications.
For example, on January 27, an Israeli settler shot dead Odai Qadous, an 18-year-old shepherd tending his flock of sheep in the West Bank. And on the very next day, more than 100 Israeli settlers stormed the same region, fatally shooting 15-year-old Yousef Ekhlil.
The tragic deaths serve as a stark reminder that the half million Israeli settlers, protected by the US-equipped Israeli army, are responsible for some of the most egregious human rights abuses suffered by Palestinians every day, the petition read.
Despite international criticisms, the US, a staunch ally to Israel, has, so far, vetoed over 40 anti-Israeli resolutions sought by the council since 1972.
Since 2004, Washington has prevented the adoption of four other resolutions that called for Tel Aviv to halt its operations in the Gaza Strip.
Analysts believe that Washington's unwavering support for Tel Aviv has made the United States an accomplice in Israeli actions.
Former high-ranking US officials have called on President Barack Obama to avoid vetoing a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel's illegal settlements in the West Bank.
The officials, including a former US secretary of defense, a number of former assistant secretaries of state and ambassadors, wrote a letter to Obama, asking him to instruct US envoys to the world body to "vote yes" on the resolution, Ha'aretz reported on Saturday.
"The time has come for a clear signal from the United States to the parties and to the broader international community that the United States can and will approach the conflict with the objectivity, consistency and respect for international law required if it is to play a constructive role in the conflict's resolution," the letter urged.
The signatories said they were well aware that the Security Council resolution would not resolve the issue of settlements, but said the council was "an appropriate venue for addressing these issues."
They also reminded Obama of his 2009 speech in Cairo where he said the US does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements and urged Israel to stop its construction activity.
"If the proposed resolution is consistent with existing and established US policies, then deploying a veto would severely undermine US credibility and interests, placing us firmly outside of the international consensus, and further diminishing our ability to mediate this conflict," the officials warned.
The draft resolution -- which has nearly 120 co-sponsors from among Arab and other non-aligned nations -- is not likely to be put to a vote in the 15-nation council in the near future due to a possible US veto.
The draft says that "Israeli settlements established in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East [al-Quds] Jerusalem, are illegal and constitute a major obstacle to the achievement of a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace."
Israel's persistent construction in the occupied West Bank is seen as the main bone of contention between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and is blamed for derailing several rounds of talks between the two sides.
Chief Palestinian Authority (PA) negotiator Saeb Erekat says more than 100 countries will support a resolution at the UN Security Council against Israeli settlement projects.
Speaking to Ma'an news agency on Thursday, Erekat also rejected the reports that the PA would postpone the resolution.
On Tuesday, Palestinian resolution against illegal Israeli settlement buildings in the occupied Palestinian territories was formally put to the Security Council.
The resolution would condemn Israel's settlement activities and reiterate an existing UN demand for all building work in the occupied territories to stop.
Erekat also denied reports that he will hold meeting with Israeli officials about the issue, describing the reports as Tel Aviv's media “propaganda” to placate the Israeli public.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Erekat accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of closing the door to negotiation by going ahead with backing settlement constructions.
Direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority once again reached a deadlock in September after Tel Aviv refused to extend a partial moratorium on settlement constructions in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinians argue that the continuation of settlement activities reduces the chance of establishing an independent Palestinian state.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has criticized the Palestinian Authority (PA) for trying to condemn Israeli settlement projects at the UN Security Council.
"The only way that there will be a resolution of the conflict... is through a negotiated settlement," she told reporters at the State Department on Thursday.
"We don't see action at the UN or any other forum as being helpful in bringing about this desired outcome," AFP quoted the top US diplomat as saying.
On Tuesday, Palestinian resolution against illegal Israeli settlement buildings in the occupied Palestinian territories was formally put to the Security Council.
The resolution would condemn Israel's settlement activities and reiterate an existing UN demand for all building work in the occupied territories to stop.
Clinton did not comment on whether the United States will veto the resolution or not.
Meanwhile, a group of US cabinet officials, diplomats, journalists and pundits released an open letter, urging the US to ratify the resolution.
"If the proposed resolution is consistent with existing and established US policies, then deploying a veto would severely undermine US credibility and interests, placing us firmly outside of the international consensus, and further diminishing our ability to mediate this conflict," said the letter.
Direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority once again reached a deadlock in September after Tel Aviv refused to extend a partial moratorium on settlement constructions in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinians argue that the continuation of settlement activities reduces the chance of establishing an independent Palestinian state.
The draft resolution, sponsored by more than 120 countries, was put to the Security Council in order to place the issue of settlements before the UN group's jurisdiction. However, the draft resolution was not brought to a vote. Iran's ambassador to the U.N. says the draft provides a good way to measure the resolve of the Council -- especially the
Permanent 5.
More than 120 nations signed on in support of this draft resolution. Notably absent from that list -- however -- are Western countries such as the United States -- the United Kingdom -- France -- Germany and Canada. Diplomats from those countries -- however - condemned Israeli settlement building in their statements before the Security Council today.
U.S. Ambassador Rosemary DeCarlo called Israeli settlement construction "corrosive" to the peace-making process. She did -- however -- continue to voice her support for a two - state solution. The Lebanese ambassador says it shouldn't be that hard for the U.S. to agree to the statement -- since there's nothing in it that America hasn't agreed to before.
Security council members that have already signed on to the statement also include Brazil -- India and South Africa. The Brazilian ambassador says that the two state solution that the US is pushing might be impossible to implement -- considering the rate at which Israeli construction is progressing. The Palestinian Permanent Observer representative says he'd like to see a real resolution written up and voted on immediately -- but he's willing to work with Security Council members on the issue.
Many insiders say the real statement may be voted on later this month -- while others say the vote could be further away.
But some ambassadors tell Press TV that there are still adjustments to be made in the language of the statement before it can be voted on.
Arab nations are set to formally demand that the United Nations Security Council to condemn Israel over its illegal settlement constructions.
Arab envoys at the UN have decided to formally register a draft resolution against Tel Aviv at the Security Council before the end of Tuesday, Tunisia's UN envoy Ghazi Jomaa told reporters on Monday, AFP reported.
Jomaa, who also chairs the Arab group, said that the draft calls for a complete freeze on Israel's illegal construction activities on occupied Palestinian territories.
The Security Council is to discuss the Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Wednesday.
Palestinian and other Arab negotiators are reportedly trying to persuade the United States not to veto the resolution.
The United States traditionally vetoes resolutions which condemn Israel.
Lebanon's envoy Nawaf Salam said more meetings would be held to decide when to press for a vote.
The Palestinians want the resolution passed to put pressure on Tel Aviv its illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank .
The 15-member Security Council has repeatedly condemned Israeli settlement activities in the past.
After Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticized the UN Security Council for acting as 'a tool in the hands of the US,' an international lawyer calls for a review of the UN structure.
Speaking in an interview with Press TV on Friday, Franklin Lamb the director of the Sabra Shatila Foundation in Beirut said, "The UN Security Council was not meant to be politicized in this way. That is why five permanent members and nine non-permanent members were arranged."
The comment came after President Ahmadinejad said on Friday that the recent punitive measures by the UNSC against Iran showed a tyrannical structure in the UN body.
President Ahmadinejad added that the organization did not truly belong to all nations.
Reacting to the matter, Lamb called on related authorities to review the UN structure in a bid to end the perception that it has been "hijacked" by world powers.
"The UN has got to look at the Security Council structure procedures to stop not only the perception that it has been hijacked by Americans and certain European countries and Israel but that some reforms have to be put in place," he stated.
The Organization of Islamic Conference says Israel's occupation of Syria's Golan Heights poses a threat to global security, report says.
The continued Israeli threats against Syria, meant to escalate regional tensions, are endangering global peace and security, Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) quoted a draft resolution of the international body's Thursday summit as saying.
Participating foreign ministers at the OIC in Dushanbe wrote in the resolution, "The OIC Ministerial Council asserts that the Israeli decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction, and administration on the occupied Syrian Golan Heights is null and void and has no legitimate or judicial value, and constitutes a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and its related resolutions and rules of international law," SANA reported.
The OIC's ministerial convention also slammed Israel for failing to abide by a 1981 UN Security Council resolution in which Tel Aviv was required to refrain from its "continued alteration" of the judicial, demographic, and civil features of the occupied Syrian territories.
The OIC members reiterated Syria's right to restore full sovereignty of the occupied Golan Heights, calling on Israel to withdraw fully to the pre-June 4, 1967 borders.
The participants also called on all countries not to supply Israel with any military, economic, financial, technical or human assistance that might prolong the Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights, the report added.
They also called on the international community to help step up pressure against Israel and urge Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Arab territories of 1967.
In addition, the OIC's 37th session threw its weight behind the Palestinian Cause, naming it as the central cause for the Islamic Nation.
Israel is planning tens of thousands of new housing units across Jerusalem al-Quds particularly focusing on the illegally annexed East al-Quds.
On Thursday, the Israeli daily Haaretz quoted planning officials as revealing plans for some 50,000 new homes in al-Quds neighborhoods beyond the Green Line.
The plans for nearly 20,000 of the apartments are already in advanced stages of approval and implementation, while plans for the rest are to be submitted to the planning committees, the paper detailed.
The new buildings include 1,600 homes in the ultra-Orthodox Ramat Shlomo settlement in East al-Quds which were approved on Tuesday.
The Tuesday approval coincided with US Vice President Joe Biden's meeting with Israeli officials aimed at facilitating indirect talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
Observers have expressed fears that the hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration is sabotaging the prospects of peace with Palestinians "beyond the point of no return."
The plans for new construction are in contrast with Israel's announcement of a temporary, partial freeze on its settlement construction plans which excludes projects already in the pipeline and also those in al-Quds. The 10-month moratorium allows synagogues, schools, hospitals and other so-called community centers to be built.
Announced in November, the pause is widely viewed more of a tactical ploy — as confirmed by Israeli officials as well — than a real gesture to the Palestinians.
East al-Quds — which hosts some of the holiest sites of Islam, Christianity and Judaism, including the al-Aqsa Mosque — was occupied by the Israeli army during the six-day war in 1967.
Israel later annexed the Palestinian neighborhood in a move never recognized by the international community.
South Africa's Closing Argument Against Israel for Genocide at the ICJ
Freedom
Welcome!
World United News offers an honest approach to alternative news and opinion with back up links for readers to investigate information for themselves.
This blog also includes a number of important video playlists that cover specific topics, rare documentaries, debate, opinion, and viewpoints.
Please feel free to share anything that resonates with you or that you feel would benefit those in your circles. Comments are always welcome. ~Stewart Brennan~
I'm not in phase with what mainstream mediums have to offer, nor do I like being lied to. So I decided to build my own World where creativity, music, and truth prevail. Therefore I’m a photographer, Writer, Video Producer, News Reporter, Music Promoter, Radio DJ, Poet, Activist, Critical Thinker, and Problem Solver. Be sure to visit all my websites linked below for more of my world.
Posts
a.jpg)
a.jpg)
