from thefreeonline on 4th July 2023 by Wafa.Ps in Français עברית العربية
Palestinian children killed by Israeli army gunfire.
NEW YORK, Wednesday, June 28, 2023 (WAFA) – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has added Russia’s military forces to his annual “list of shame” of parties to armed conflict who commit grave violations against children.
Unfortunately, he again omitted Israel, which belongs on the list.
This sends a mixed message about the UN’s willingness to hold powerful governments accountable, said Jo Becker, Human Rights Watch Advocacy Director, Children’s Rights Division.
Child casualties at the morgue in Rafah in…GAZA, PALESTINE –
Ignoring 975 Palestinian child casualties by racist Israeli forces in 2022 has added to the view spreading worldwide that the UN is now, like the WTO, the IMF, the World bank, etc, another ‘captured’ organisation of the US .
The inclusion of Russia, despite its longheld pro-children policies, is widely derided outside the West as endorsing the blatantly political charging of Putin by the ICC, for a Russian effort to protect children from the chaos and slaughter of the Ukraine war.
Palestine: 800 Children Detained during the Past Month – Palestine …
“Globally, violations against children occurred on a shocking scale in 2022. The UN verified over 24,000 instances in which armed forces or groups killed or injured children, subjected them to sexual violence, abduction, or recruitment as soldiers, or attacked schools and hospitals. Over half the violations took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Israel/Palestine, Somalia, Syria, and Ukraine,” she wrote.
“Israel’s continued omission from the list of shame does a grave disservice to Palestinian children. The secretary general’s report found Israeli forces responsible for 975 child casualties and 110 attacks on schools and hospitals in 2022. The UN has attributed over 6,700 Palestinian child casualties to Israeli forces from 2015-2020.
While the secretary-general has never included Israel in his list, he has included other forces or groups responsible for far fewer violations,” said Becker, adding that “the secretary-general’s continued unwillingness to hold Israeli forces accountable for massive violations puts many children at risk.”
Palestinian family mourns eight relatives killed in attack as Israeli …
The Advocacy Director stressed that Guterres should hold all governments to account for their violations, regardless of their influence.
“The stigma attached to the secretary-general’s ‘list of shame’ is considerable. Israel and other countries have resorted to aggressive lobbying and, in some cases, even UN blackmail, to stay off the list of the worst violators. The only credible way off is to sign and implement a concrete action plan with the UN to end violations. The secretary-general needs to hold all governments to account for their violations, no matter how powerful.”
Opposing Child Detainees in Occupied Palestine Territories
The report by the Advocacy Director publicizing Israeli crimes is a welcome move, though likely to be ignored, along with dozens of UN resolutions vetoed by the USA.
Human Rights Watch, despite it often great work, is a western funded organization which concentrates on the crimes of poor and developing States.
HRW itself has a long history of problems criticizing Israel. Indeed its founder and longtime President, Robert L. Bernstein, resigned in 2009 over the inclusion of reports on Israeli military crimes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_L._Bernstein
M.K.
The Free 