De Zuidafrikaanse hoogleraar Volkenrecht John Dugard doceerde acht jaar lang in Leiden. Hij bezit vier eredoctoraten, en wordt algemeen beschouwd als een van de grootste deskundigen ter wereld op het gebied van het internationaal recht. Het moet toch niet zo moeilijk zijn voor de Nederlandse commerciele massamedia om deze geleerde eens uitgebreid aan het woord te laten over de grootschalige Israelische schendingen van het internationaal recht en de mensenrechten. Ik begrijp dat mijn collega's het daar niet graag over hebben, maar toch, probeer eens onafhankelijk te zijn.
'UN expert rails at Quartet policies
By Tim Franks BBC News, Jerusalem
By Tim Franks BBC News, Jerusalem
John Dugard speaks slowly and carefully. He rarely hesitates. But from his measured voice comes a reputation for being outspoken.
Earlier this year, in his role as special rapporteur to the UN Human Rights Council for the Palestinian Territories, the South African law professor wrote a report for the UN General Assembly in which he compared Israel's actions to those of apartheid South Africa.
Indeed, the word "apartheid" appears 24 times in the 24-page report.
But in his interview with the BBC, Mr Dugard goes further than before.
He has been trenchant in his belief in the past seven years that he has held the UN post that Israel is collectively punishing the Palestinians.
Now, though, he has the international community, and the UN itself, in his sights for complicity.
'Little good'
A few weeks ago, Mr Dugard was reported to have levelled criticism at the UN secretary general for failing to stand up to Israel.
The reports, he says, followed some of his remarks being "generously translated" into Arabic.
But there is little room for misinterpretation in his comments to the BBC.
He complains that his catalogues of what he sees as human rights abuses in the occupied territories fall on "deaf ears" in the secretary general's office.
He also says the UN is doing itself "little good" by remaining in the Quartet - the international group charged with overseeing the "peace process" between the Israelis and Palestinians.
He also, tellingly, strays to the very limit of his mandate by saying that the Quartet is hampering the Palestinian right to self-determination.
His argument is not just that it is failing to heal the rift between the militant Islamist group, Hamas, which controls Gaza, and the Fatah group of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, but that the UN has, through the Quartet, thrown in its lot with Fatah.
"The UN," he says, "is not playing the role of an objective mediator that behoves it."'
Indeed, the word "apartheid" appears 24 times in the 24-page report.
But in his interview with the BBC, Mr Dugard goes further than before.
He has been trenchant in his belief in the past seven years that he has held the UN post that Israel is collectively punishing the Palestinians.
Now, though, he has the international community, and the UN itself, in his sights for complicity.
'Little good'
A few weeks ago, Mr Dugard was reported to have levelled criticism at the UN secretary general for failing to stand up to Israel.
The reports, he says, followed some of his remarks being "generously translated" into Arabic.
But there is little room for misinterpretation in his comments to the BBC.
He complains that his catalogues of what he sees as human rights abuses in the occupied territories fall on "deaf ears" in the secretary general's office.
He also says the UN is doing itself "little good" by remaining in the Quartet - the international group charged with overseeing the "peace process" between the Israelis and Palestinians.
He also, tellingly, strays to the very limit of his mandate by saying that the Quartet is hampering the Palestinian right to self-determination.
His argument is not just that it is failing to heal the rift between the militant Islamist group, Hamas, which controls Gaza, and the Fatah group of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, but that the UN has, through the Quartet, thrown in its lot with Fatah.
"The UN," he says, "is not playing the role of an objective mediator that behoves it."'
Lees verder: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7044148.stm
1 opmerking:
Een "mooie" aanvulling is wellicht het recente stuk van de immer uitstekende Ran Hacohen. Over een nieuw plan van Israelisch rechts om de Westoever te ontdoen van Palestijnen.
http://www.antiwar.com/hacohen/?articleid=11754
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