Okay. Here’s your first news article. See if you can pick out the pattern here. Your first clue: Israel is taking her time giving Desmond Tutu’s team permission to visit Gaza. One might even wonder if they’re going to grant permission at all.
A United Nations fact-finding mission to the Gaza Strip that was to be led by Desmond Tutu is in doubt because Israel has yet to give the Nobel laureate permission to enter the territory, officials said on Friday.
Tutu was to begin leading a six-member team this weekend in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun to investigate the killings of 19 civilians in an Israeli artillery barrage last month.
But Israel has yet to grant the South African anti-apartheid campaigner and former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town the necessary travel clearance, said three different officials close to the talks between the global body and the Jewish state.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because discussions were continuing, said they had yet to receive any indication from Israel that the mission will take place at all.
Israeli officials in Geneva said they were unable to comment immediately.
Tutu’s team was supposed to report its findings to the UN Human Rights Council by mid-December.
Now, why would Israel want to drag her heels on this, anyway? The UN Human Rights Council, that august body, needs to investigate human rights abuses, does it not?
Let’s see if we can find a reason.
Earlier Friday the UN Human Rights Council passed a seventh resolution criticizing Israel on Friday, this time for its failure to act on earlier recommendations that it end military operations in the Palestinian territories and allow a fact-finding mission to the region.
The rights body, which has only condemned the Israeli government in its seven-month existence, noted with regret its July resolution urging the release of all arrested Palestinian ministers has yet to be carried out.
Will you look at that! The Human Wrongs Council criticized Israel again! Say, was that the only time they did so?
Nope.
The UN Human Rights Council passed a seventh resolution criticizing Israel on Friday, this time for it’s failure to act on earlier recommendations that it end military operations in the Palestinian territories and allow a fact-finding mission to the region.
The rights body, which has only condemned the Israeli government in its seven-month existence, noted with regret its July resolution urging the release of all arrested Palestinian ministers had not yet been carried out.
So. Eight resolutions against Israel since its inception, the latest of which yelling at Israel for ignoring the other seven resolutions. And in case you’re wondering exactly why this is happening, simply check out the membership roster: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Pakistan, Tunisia, Malaysia, Morocca… the Organization of the Islamic Conference has gained a majority of the Asia and Africa regional groups. Nobody is truly surprised that the Human Wrongs Council attacks Israel, but it sure does seem funny that the assholes on the council actually think that people with half a brain don’t know what they’re doing.
But then, we don’t have John Bolton to kick them around anymore, so I expect it will get even more ridiculous. I sure hope that Olmert keeps forgetting to sign the paperwork allowing the Human Wrongs morons into Gaza. Tell ’em it’s in the mail. No, wait, tell them it’s in Sderot, and they have to stay there for two weeks or so before they can go to Gaza. Near Peretz’s house, actually, which the palis are trying so hard to hit.
Yeah, that works for me.
Well, I can see why Israel is not overjoyed about an investigative group led by Bishop Tutu.
He was in Detroit some years back, made a speech laced with anti-Israel claims, and when asked why he was so hard on the Isaelis responded that “the Jews have suffered so we expect more from them.” This proves again Eric Hoffer’s statement that the only people in the world expected to ask like Christians are Jews. And I note his own people had suffered but far from asking more of them, he seemed to ask less.
In a Boston speech not long ago he compared the Jewish lobby to, among others, Hitler and Mussolini. Tutu has also been active in divestment campaigns. He has also been quoted as saying that Zionism has many parallels with racism.
So it may be that the Israelis are a bit doubtful about his commission coming up with anything they haven’t already decided on.
Another odd thing jumped out at me from that story.
Israel no longer has security forces patrolling Gaza, right?
The Palestinian territories now have their own government and security forces, right?
The Gaza Strip includes both an airport and seaport facilities, right?
It even includes a land border with Egypt, which is patrolled by Egyptian and Palestinian — but not Israeli — security forces, right?
The location named is even in the Gaza Strip, so the “fact-finding mission” doesn’t have to worry about crossing Israel to get to the West Bank, right?
Well then, why does the “fact-finding mission” even need Israeli travel permission to get to the place?