Netanyahu guilty of ‘racist hate speech,’ Palestinians tell UNHRC
The UNHRC is mandated to hold a debate on alleged Israeli human rights violations during each of its meetings, which occur three times a year.
By TOVAH LAZAROFFPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls for people in Jerusalem to go and vote.(photo credit: LIKUD)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used “racist hate speech” against Palestinians during his re-election campaign, PLO Ambassador Ibrahim Khraishi told the United Nations Human Rights Council on Monday as it held its 42nd session in Geneva.“You may have followed the recent Israeli elections campaign, which included racist hate speech against Palestinians, including a statement by the racist Israeli Prime Minister who wrote a post against Arabs claiming that women, children and older Palestinians plan to exterminate us,” Khraishi said.“This is added to the racist statements issued by various racist Zionist political parties. We have sent to you by e-mail some such videos,” Khraishi said.He spoke during an Agenda Item 7 debate. The UNHRC is mandated to hold a debate on alleged Israeli human rights violations during each of its meetings, which occur three times a year. Human rights violations committed by all other countries around the globe, are all debated under Agenda Item 4. Israel, whose actions are debated under Agenda Item 7, is the only country for which there is such a standing mandate.Israel boycotts the Agenda Item 7 debates and has called on all other countries to do so as well. It has urged that all human rights complains against it be dealt with under Agenda Item 4.On Monday none of the European Union members states participated in the debate. Western countries also refrained from speaking. European and western countries have increasingly boycotted Agenda Item 7.“It is regrettable that some states still give in to the threats and justifications given by Israel and the US to not participate in the debate on this agenda item, addressing gross violations committed by Israel the occupying power. This behavior only encourages Israel to continue its illegal practices,” he said.Khraishi took issue with a wide arran of Israeli actions in the West Bank and Gaza, including its response to Palestinian rioters at the Gaza border, Israeli annexation talk, arbitrary imprisonment of Palestinians, the security barrier and the withholding of terror funds.He called on the UNHRC to publish its black list of companies doing business with Israeli entities and corporations located over the pre-1967 lines.Qatar’s envoy Ali Khalfan Al-Mansouri said that Netanyahu’s call to apply sovereignty to the Jordan Valley and the West Bank settlements was part of Israel’s attempt to ethnically cleanse the areas of Palestinians.“This is a fragrant breach of the UN Charter, international law and relevant UN resolutions. It further undermines the political process and the two state solution as well as spreading violence, chaos and instability inn the whole region in the Middle East,” Al-Mansouri“We call on the international community to uphold its moral and legal responsibility by proving international protection for the Palestinian people,” he said. The Qatari envoy also called on Israel to stop Judaizing Jerusalem and for a boycott of settlement products.“There is no excuse” for the delay in the publication of the black list, he said.
