UN assembly holds 'emergency' session on Gaza

[DogPoundPup]

UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. General Assembly president opened an emergency meeting of the 192-nation world body on Israeli actions in Gaza on Thursday by angrily blocking Israel's attempt to halt what it called a "hateful" session.

Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann argued that the assembly, as "the most representative and most democratic component of the United Nations," had a duty to make its voice heard because the Security Council's urgent call for a cease-fire a week ago had been "totally ignored" by Israel and Hamas. More than 60 nations signed up to speak.

D'Escoto, openly leftist and pro-Palestinian, has been repeatedly critical of the United States and of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians.

Israeli diplomat Ilan Fluss argued that the session was "superfluous," citing an article of the U.N. Charter that says the General Assembly "shall not make any recommendation" about a dispute or situation before the Security Council unless it is asked to. In this case, it hasn't been.

D'Escoto countered that the Security Council resolution, approved by a 14-0 vote with the U.S. abstaining, called for the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Instead, Gaza "has been turned into a real burning hell," he said, and Israel has been "so disdainful" of the resolution.

Fluss dropped the Israeli challenge.

But D'Escoto, raising his voice, also brought up an incident last month in which his office said he had received online death threats over his comments that the international community should consider a boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel similar to those used against South Africa decades earlier.

"I was accused of trying to silence Israel. That was an absolute and total lie. Now it is ironic Israel is trying to silence the General Assembly," he said.

D'Escoto has tried to make the General Assembly a major player in dealing with the Gaza conflict, but its resolutions are nonbinding. It doesn't have the clout of the Security Council, whose resolutions are legally binding. Late Thursday, d'Escoto circulated a draft resolution demanding "full respect" for the Security Council resolution.

A vote on the draft resolution would come Friday at the end of the two-day session.

Israel and the United States, its main ally and a veto-wielding member of the Security Council, have long complained that the assembly is biased against Israel.

Hours later, Israel's U.N. Ambassador Gabriela Shalev went on the offense, calling the meeting "deceitful," "hateful" and "cynical."

D'Escoto rejected Shalev's characterizations.

While the assembly met, the Security Council heard a briefing on Gaza and expressed "grave concern" at the Israeli shelling Thursday of the U.N. compound, hospitals and a building housing journalists in Gaza. It also called on all parties to ensure the protection of civilians and immediately implement last week's cease-fire resolution.

Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. observer, welcomed the assembly's meeting. If U.N. efforts fail to bring peace to Gaza, he said, Palestinians will have no choice but to return to the Security Council seeking a tougher resolution authorizing the use of military force against Israel.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090115/ap_on_re_mi_ea/un_un_gaza_emergency_session

[Ghost Dog]

1. Charter of the United Nations, Chapter 7:

CHAPTER VII: ACTION WITH RESPECT TO THREATS TO THE PEACE, BREACHES OF THE PEACE, AND ACTS OF AGGRESSION

Article 39

The Security Council shall determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression and shall make recommendations, or decide what measures shall be taken in accordance with Articles 41 and 42, to maintain or restore international peace and security.

Article 40

In order to prevent an aggravation of the situation, the Security Council may, before making the recommendations or deciding upon the measures provided for in Article 39, call upon the parties concerned to comply with such provisional measures as it deems necessary or desirable. Such provisional measures shall be without prejudice to the rights, claims, or position of the parties concerned. The Security Council shall duly take account of failure to comply with such provisional measures.

Article 41

The Security Council may decide what measures not involving the use of armed force are to be employed to give effect to its decisions, and it may call upon the Members of the United Nations to apply such measures. These may include complete or partial interruption of economic relations and of rail, sea, air, postal, telegraphic, radio, and other means of communication, and the severance of diplomatic relations.

Article 42

Should the Security Council consider that measures provided for in Article 41 would be inadequate or have proved to be inadequate, it may take such action by air, sea, or land forces as may be necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security. Such action may include demonstrations, blockade, and other operations by air, sea, or land forces of Members of the United Nations.

Article 43

1. All Members of the United Nations, in order to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security, undertake to make available to the Security Council, on its call and in accordance with a special agreement or agreements, armed forces, assistance, and facilities, including rights of passage, necessary for the purpose of maintaining international peace and security.
2. Such agreement or agreements shall govern the numbers and types of forces, their degree of readiness and general location, and the nature of the facilities and assistance to be provided.
3. The agreement or agreements shall be negotiated as soon as possible on the initiative of the Security Council. They shall be concluded between the Security Council and Members or between the Security Council and groups of Members and shall be subject to ratification by the signatory states in accordance with their respective constitutional processes.

Article 44

When the Security Council has decided to use force it shall, before calling upon a Member not represented on it to provide armed forces in fulfilment of the obligations assumed under Article 43, invite that Member, if the Member so desires, to participate in the decisions of the Security Council concerning the employment of contingents of that Member's armed forces.

Article 45

In order to enable the United Nations to take urgent military measures, Members shall hold immediately available national air-force contingents for combined international enforcement action. The strength and degree of readiness of these contingents and plans for their combined action shall be determined within the limits laid down in the special agreement or agreements referred to in Article 43, by the Security Council with the assistance of the Military Staff Committee.

/more... http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/chapter7.shtml

(Sounds like not bad reporting here (in the OP) from AP, for a change...)

[DogPoundPup]

3. It is time to throw Israel out of the United Nations.

If Israel will not act like a civilized nation, they should not be kept in the company of civilized nations.

[Behind the Aegis]

5. LOL!

:eyes:

[Shaktimaan]

7. Since when is the UN comprised of "civilized nations?"

Do you honestly think that Israel conducts itself in a less "civilized" way than the great majority of UN members?

Are there any member states that you can think of that act significantly more progressively than Israel?

[EFerrari]

2. Iirc, there is a way to stream some UN proceedings. I think the link is here:

http://www.un.org/webcast/ga.html

[Scurrilous]

4. Israel, US foil UN condemnation

Diplomats work together to prevent Security Council statement slamming Jewish state for UNRWA building strike

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3657080,00.html

<snip>

"Israel and the US succeeded in preventing a United Nations announcement condemning the Jewish state for its strike on a UN compound in Gaza Thursday. The condemnation was proposed by Britain among other countries.

The announcement was scheduled to be released to the press by current Security Council President, French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert. Instead, Ripert made a public speech calling on both sides to cease their fire, according to UN Resolution 1860.

EU ambassadors initiated the council meeting following the IDF strike on an UNRWA compound in Gaza earlier Thursday. The meeting was intended to end with the issue of an announcement declaring Israel responsible for the situation in Gaza.

Israeli diplomats alerted US diplomats to the intention, and the latter transferred Israel's response to the Security Council while the meeting proceeded – which caused the council to disperse without a concrete resolution.

Israel's deputy ambassador to the UN, Danny Carmon, told Ynet that "this is the first time we have succeeded in thwarting an attempt to act against us thanks to reliable firsthand information received from the Foreign Ministry and the IDF."

[DogPoundPup]

6. like 2 cozy peas in a pod...will Hope and Change EVER get here