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Last update - 22:12 15/12/2008
UN: Israel's expulsion of human rights envoy is 'dangerous'
By DPA
Tags: human rights, Israel news, UN 

Israel's decision to expel a U.S. expert on human rights was a "dangerous" move that contravened mandates given to rights advocates working for the United Nations, the UN General Assembly president said Monday.

Richard Falk was detained at Jerusalem's airport on Sunday and then deported back to the United States. Falk's mandate, given by the 192-nation assembly, is to assess the situation in Palestinian territories.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Monday that Falk was "unwelcome in Israel."
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A Foreign Ministry statement said Falk's visit was uncoordinated and was conducted without the state's authorization and he was therefore turned around.

Israel has long complained about the mandate Falk took over earlier this year, saying it is biased in favor of the Palestinians and prevents the expert from making any comments about human rights abuses committed against Israelis.

He had also personally infuriated Israelis when he compared Israeli actions in the Palestinian territories with those of the Nazis during World War II.

A Foreign Ministry statement explained the decision, saying "in the case of Prof. Falk, beyond the imbalance inherent in his mandate, the bias is further exacerbated by the highly politicized views of the Rapporteur himself, in legitimizing Hamas terrorism and drawing shameful comparisons to the Holocaust. In light of his vehement publications in the past, it is hard to square his appointment with the requirements of the Council's own internal procedures which call for the appointment of mandate holders who are impartial, objective and possess the quality of personal integrity."

Assembly president Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, who has also criticized Israel in the past, said the Israeli government took a "dangerous decision ... to rebuff UN mandates and UN-appointed mandate holders."

"This again is not conducive to the good climate that the president of the General Assembly is trying to promote," he said in a statement.

Falk, a law professor at New York University, is the UN special rapporteur for human rights in the Palestinian territories.

Miguel d'Escoto said Falk was investigating "human rights violations that affected the protected civilian population of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Most urgently he intended to investigate the rising humanitarian crisis in Gaza Strip resulting from siege of Gaza's 1.5 million population imposed by the occupying power."

Israel earlier this month had lodged a rare protest against Miguel d'Escoto, who criticized the international community for failing to help Palestinians establish an independent state after 60 years on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

He denied on Monday stories that accused him of preventing the Israeli ambassador to the UN to address the assembly on the 60th anniversary last week, calling those reports "slander" and a "malicious lie."

Related articles:
  • 60 years on, Israel-bashing diminishes message of UN human rights council
  • UN General Assembly chief tries to block Israeli envoy's address
  • UN official who compared Israel to Nazis turns the spotlight on Palestinians
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
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      1.   excellent decision 22:37  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 15/12/08
      2.   Robert Mugabe has refused entry 22:41  |  Chris Linthwaite 15/12/08
      3.   chris l. 23:02  |  david 15/12/08
      4.   It`s too bad 23:13  |  Robert Haymond 15/12/08
      5.   Its a welcome protection of Human Rights, no more spewing hate 23:15  |  David 15/12/08
      6.   THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF CONVINCING ISRAEL`S ENEMIES 23:22  |  Brant 15/12/08
      7.   look who`s speaking - 23:25  |  scallywag 15/12/08
      8.   What is dangerous... 23:47  |  tristan 15/12/08
      9.   Out of 7 billion world population, the UN choose this one 23:50  |  Simon 15/12/08
      10.   the un is a dangerous organisation 23:52  |  elazar 15/12/08
      11.   #3 David 23:57  |  Chris Linthwaite 15/12/08
      12.   Binding `Mandates` can not be given by the UNGA 23:58  |  Zimmer 15/12/08
      13.   Falk a very bad choice to begin with 00:00  |  leucippe 16/12/08
      14.   Linwhaite`s post 00:04  |  SDHD 16/12/08
      15.   #5, David, how can you be so short-sighted? 00:43  |  Silvienne 16/12/08
      16.   Richard Falk Unhinged 00:50  |  Bisal 16/12/08
      17.   Falk--go home! 00:50  |  US CITIZEN 16/12/08
      18.   #14 SDHD 01:12  |  Chris Linthwaite 16/12/08
      19.   To a certain extent understandable decision, but..... 01:15  |  Swiss (Dino) 16/12/08
      20.   Israel is upset that Falk is right, just like Carter... 01:25  |  BBSNews 16/12/08
      21.   a dangerous precedent 01:51  |  Arie 16/12/08
      22.   Why, Cipora, did you leave out 02:00  |  Mark Lincoln 16/12/08
      23.   BBS BS - please show us the pictures 02:11  |  natan 16/12/08
      24.   Swiss (Dino) 02:12  |  Jasper 16/12/08
      25.   no it is not dangerous. falling for UN position is dangerous!! 02:46  |  Ralph 16/12/08
      26.   time to show UN it is useless entity. no way should we be intimi 02:47  |  ralph 16/12/08
      27.   why is israel`s "invariable" response to criticism... 02:53  |  eric 16/12/08
      28.   #20 - BBSNews 02:57  |  MichaelF 16/12/08
      29.   What is "dangerous?" 02:59  |  MichaelF 16/12/08
      30.   Can`t he enter the Palestinian area directly? 03:18  |  Maybe naive 16/12/08
      31.   why is israel`s "invariable" response to criticism... 03:34  |  eric 16/12/08
      32.   Excellent decision, adequate and sober. 04:31  |  Fortuna Benmayor 16/12/08
      33.   Expelling a propogandist and liar is only dangerous for Hamas 04:37  |  PETER SM 16/12/08
      34.   The Article Does Not Mention that Falk is a Jew - He Would Have 05:44  |  Monitor 16/12/08
      35.   why is israel`s "invariable" response to criticism... 06:30  |  eric 16/12/08
      36.   swiss (dino) 07:03  |  scallywag 16/12/08
      37.   ahhhhhh...i was wonder why the label was missing 07:18  |  eric 16/12/08
      38.   Israel is behaving like a third world country... 11:52  |  Dutch 16/12/08
      39.   # 24 Jasper 13:17  |  Swiss (Dino) 16/12/08
      40.   # 36 scallywag 13:20  |  Swiss (Dino) 16/12/08
      41.   Let him in if nothing is wrong?? 21:51  |  Ari 16/12/08
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