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Last update - 11:27 23/01/2008
Israel, U.S. to boycott UN rights council meet on Gaza blockade
By Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: PLO, Gaza, Israel 

Israel and the United States are expected to boycott a special United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva on Wednesday to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip, in the wake of Jerusalem's decision to close Gaza crossings.

This would be the first time that Israel has boycotted a session of the Human Rights Council, in a sign of rising tensions between Israel and UN institutions.

The council will meet Wednesday at the request of Egypt and the Palestinian Authority, to discuss the closure of the crossings as well as Israel's recent military strikes in Gaza.
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The draft proposal submitted to the council angered Jerusalem, which views it as one-sided due to the fact that it fails to mention the massive Qassam rocket fire on Sderot and other western Negev communities.

Israel urged other countries to follow suit, although only the U.S. agreed to do so.

Israel urging Security Council to soften statement on Gaza crisis
Meanwhile, Israel is lobbying the UN Security Council to soften the language of a presidential statement denouncing the Gaza closure, which is expected to be issued Wednesday.

Israel argues that the draft statement is utterly one-sided, and UN sources said that both the United States and Britain back Israel's objections, while other council members are also uncomfortable with the current language.

The council held an emergency session Tuesday on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, at the Arab states' request, and the debate was expected to continue far into the night.

Noting the ongoing rocket barrages from Gaza on Sderot, Israeli representative Gilad Cohen demanded at Tuesday's session: "What would Security Council members do if London, Moscow, Paris or Tripoli were being bombed? Would you continue to sit with folded hands?"

Riad Mansour, the PLO observer at the UN, countered by accusing Israel, "the occupying power," of "cruel and illegal behavior" that "endangers the lives of millions" of Palestinians and "undermines the chances for peace."

The initial draft circulated Tuesday demanded an immediate halt to Israel's "illegal" actions against Gaza's civilian population, expressed "grave concern" over the deteriorating humanitarian situation there and demanded that Israel honor its obligations under international law.

The decision to issue a nonbinding presidential statement came after the U.S. indicated that it opposed a formal resolution denouncing Israel.

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      1.   Undermining the chances for peace? 05:38  |  Polybios 23/01/08
      2.   show and tell 05:39  |  ron 23/01/08
      3.   The U.N. ... They`re all idiots !! 05:46  |  John B. Fellows 23/01/08
      4.   Whatever: What Would Happen If ... 05:49  |  Brad 23/01/08
      5.   Emergency Session on Gaza - Good One UN 05:49  |  Steve 23/01/08
      6.   ignore the UN 05:54  |  vik 23/01/08
      7.   Israel should be condemned 06:08  |  David K 23/01/08
      8.   UN: Instead of finding fault, why not find solutions? 06:28  |  Conroy 23/01/08
      9.   Read Fundamentally Freund in today`s jpost.com 06:50  |  Steve 23/01/08
      10.   leave th UN 06:54  |  tony harris 23/01/08
      11.   UN = Unbelievably Naive 06:54  |  Jewboy 23/01/08
      12.   Wait a minute! 07:01  |  Marcelo 23/01/08
      13.   Pal Shut Down Generator To Create Gaza Humanitarian Crisis, 07:01  |  Joseph E . 23/01/08
      14.   Gaza "Blackout" and the Laws of War 07:03  |  Joseph E . 23/01/08
      15.   Collective Punishment by Hamas: Hamas closes Gaza bakeries 07:06  |  Joseph E . 23/01/08
      16.   Israel know that to speak of her rights at law 07:12  |  Joseph E . 23/01/08
      17.   The Arabs, EU, UN, and US are intent 07:15  |  Joseph E . 23/01/08
      18.   Pals have the biggest SCAM working for them in the History of man 07:17  |  Joseph E . 23/01/08
      19.   I would give ALL of northern Gaza 24 hours to leave their homes 07:18  |  Joseph E . 23/01/08
      20.   Just ignore UN! 07:20  |  Vlad 23/01/08
      21.   Ignore the UN 07:27  |  GZLives 23/01/08
      22.   The news is lop-sided! 07:30  |  Denton 23/01/08
      23.   Bravo UN - world needs to stand up to US/UK/Israel war crimes 07:34  |  Steve Katz 23/01/08
      24.   A Very Sick UN 07:34  |  Ron 23/01/08
      25.   The time has passed for the UN it needs to be closed down 07:35  |  Shepherd 23/01/08
      26.   The rules of this conflict and the constraints placed upon Israel 07:36  |  Joseph E . 23/01/08
      27.   If Gazans had the Choice between Gaza and Hell , 07:40  |  Joseph E . 23/01/08
      28.   Israelis are shameful occupiers... 08:03  |  Dutch 23/01/08
      29.   ISRAEL SHOULD SPIT IN THE UNS FACE!!!!!!!!! 08:06  |  U.N. DESPISER 23/01/08
      30.   More Heartless Responses by the immoral apologists 08:14  |  Dutch 23/01/08
      31.   No Bolton - The Schlemielbergs Must Be Happy 08:44  |  Tod Zuckerman 23/01/08
      32.   #4 Brad plays a game of What-If 09:05  |  Johnboy 23/01/08
      33.   #18 of course the hell it is less harmfull than Israel siege 09:34  |  Ben Sina 23/01/08
      34.   #24 It is amaising how the zionists eclose in the victom 09:45  |  Ben Sina 23/01/08
      35.   Resolutions don`t matter. The debate will do just fine. 09:45  |  Natallie Durson 23/01/08
      36.   The Fact That Arabs and Co. want a biding condemning Resolution 09:53  |  Joseph E . 23/01/08
      37.   #30 Dutch 09:59  |  Sheikh Rattle & Roll 23/01/08
      38.   Natallie Durson on behavior 10:04  |  Joe Sittizen 23/01/08
      39.   Soft, sweet rhetoric... 10:08  |  Maureen Ann 23/01/08
      40.   UN = See Below 10:12  |  Simon 23/01/08
      41.   in Congo, 45,000 people, half under five, die every month 10:19  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 23/01/08
      42.   Israel should definitely boycott, and the US should join her 10:21  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 23/01/08
      43.   # 35 Natallie Durson @ Los Angeles / CA 10:23  |  Joseph E . 23/01/08
      44.   Boycott US and Israel 10:26  |  Truths 23/01/08
      45.   Dear Israeli ambassador, why are there no Quassams............ 10:33  |  Swiss (Dino) 23/01/08
      46.   Durson and the UN 10:44  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 23/01/08
      47.   The utter disgrace of America, wallowing in the mud 10:52  |  Clickfool 23/01/08
      48.   Shift the UN to Tel Aviv so that Israel can get full control! 11:04  |  Chalanau, Tova 23/01/08
      49.   TO DEFEND THE ENTITY OF EVIL 11:09  |  indrajaya 23/01/08
      50.   Hats off to Hamas 11:18  |  RayRay 23/01/08
      51.   #50 RayRay "True Muslim" 11:41  |  Sheikh Rattle & Roll 23/01/08
      52.   starting to feel proud of Israel again 11:45  |  Josh 23/01/08
      53.   Dear Dino, from nutral Switzerland, what a question 11:46  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 23/01/08
      54.   # 33 Pals Are Not A Nation But Death Mercenaries of Arab Nation 11:54  |  Joseph E . 23/01/08
      55.   living in the stone age 12:13  |  Hipocrisy Monitor 23/01/08
      56.   54# and what do you call the Zionists mercy mercenaries 12:25  |  Ben Sina 23/01/08
      57.   # 46 - Kohn 12:35  |  Natallie Durson 23/01/08
      58.   # 38 - Joe Sittizen 12:43  |  Natallie Durson 23/01/08
      59.   Seems to me 12:44  |  Chris Linthwaite 23/01/08
      60.   #41 Cipora Julianna Kohn, do try to keep up 12:48  |  Chris Linthwaite 23/01/08
      61.   Same Old, Same Old 12:54  |  Clickfool 23/01/08
      62.   # 53 Cipora, mixing-up fruit salad is a good thing....... 12:59  |  Swiss (Dino) 23/01/08
      63.   Swiss (Dino) # 45, reasoning and examples are laughable 13:07  |  Darth Zaider (Ed) 23/01/08
      64.   Ignoring the UN 13:15  |  Ran 23/01/08
      65.   Who cares anymore for UN and resolutions?! 13:24  |  IL supporter 23/01/08
      66.   Little Sir Echo appears # 61 13:28  |  Clickfool 23/01/08
      67.   terrorist israel and america at it again 13:30  |  VIPER 23/01/08
      68.   For Josh, who`s proud of Israel # 52 13:32  |  Clickfool 23/01/08
      69.   # 63 Darth Zaider 13:38  |  Swiss (Dino) 23/01/08
      70.   @33, ben sina, pals are not nation but gang of criminals 13:42  |  vladimir 23/01/08
      71.   #3 John Fellows of US 13:43  |  Hilda