Boycott Companies Violating Human Rights Of The Palestinians, Says UN Expert
By Countercurrents.org
27 October 2012
Countercurrents.org
Call to boycott Caterpillar, Hewlett Packard, Motorola, Veolia Environment, G4S, Dexia, Volvo Group, Assa Abloy, Ahava, Elbit Systems, Mehadrin, Riwal Holding Group and Cemex has been made by the UN special investigator on human rights in the Palestinian territories. These companies are violating international human rights and humanitarian laws by exploiting Palestinian resources and helping Israel construct illegal settlements and provide security for them.
An AP report carried by Arizona Daily Star [1] said:
Richard Falk, the UN special investigator on human rights in the Palestinian territories called on October 24, 2012 for a boycott of all companies that have dealings with Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem until they adhere to international rights standards and practices.
In a report presented to the UN General Assembly, Falk said a number of Israeli-owned and multinational corporations headquartered in the US, Europe and Mexico appear to be violating international human rights and humanitarian laws by exploiting Palestinian resources and helping Israel construct illegal settlements and provide security for them. But he said further investigations will be made to determine whether the allegations are well-founded.
Falk said the call for a boycott is an effort to take infractions of international law seriously and "use what influence we have to change behavior." He said the pace of Israeli settlement building has accelerated and Israel has ignored UN resolutions condemning the practice, so "there is a sense that what the U.N. says doesn't count."
Falk, a professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University, has previously angered Israel by comparing the Jewish state to Nazi Germany and accusing it of crimes against humanity because of its treatment of Palestinians. Israel has barred Falk from visiting the Palestinian territories.
In the report, Falk reiterated his request that the Israeli government cooperate with his efforts, as he said it is required to do under the UN Charter.
However, an AFP news carried by gulfnews.com [2] said:
The US and Israel on October 25, 2012 slammed the call for a boycott of companies helping Israel’s colony expansion in the Palestinian territories.
US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said the boycott appeal by Richard Falk would “poison the environment for peace.”
An Israeli spokeswoman criticized the “distasteful sideshow.”
Richard Falk singled out Caterpillar, Hewlett Packard and Motorola of the United States, Veolia Environment of France, G4S of Britain, Dexia of Belgium, Volvo Group and Assa Abloy of Sweden, Ahava, Elbit Systems and Mehadrin of Israel, Riwal Holding Group of the Netherlands and Cemex of Mexico.
He said all were involved in building and maintaining Israeli colonies in the occupied territories that the UN, US and EU all consider illegal.
Israeli-Palestinian talks have been frozen for more than two years over the colonies expansion and Falk added his voice to warnings by Palestinian and international leaders that the construction threatens hopes for separate Palestinian and Israeli states.
“All Israeli [colonies] in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have been established in clear violation of international law,” said Falk, who highlighted that the colonies now make up more than 40 percent of the West Bank.
Speaking before the General Assembly, he called for boycotting businesses tied to colony expansion “until they bring their operations into line with international human rights and humanitarian law and standards.”
Falk has labeled Israel’s 2008 offensive against Gaza as “war crimes” and courted controversy with comments on the origins of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US.
“His call for a boycott of private companies is irresponsible and unacceptable,” said Rice, the US envoy to the UN.
“Throughout his tenure as special rapporteur, Mr Falk has been highly biased and made offensive statements, including outrageous comments on the 9/11 attacks.”
Falk’s “recommendations do nothing to further a peaceful settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and indeed poison the environment for peace,” the US ambassador added, saying his work as a UN special rapporteur “only damages the credibility of the UN.”
Karean Peretz, spokeswoman for the Israeli mission to the United Nations dismissed Falk’s “grossly biased report, based on a one-sided mandate, which is completely divorced from reality.”
“Falk’s distortions of both fact and law are countless. While he spends pages and pages attacking Israel, Falk fails to mention even once the horrific human rights violations and ongoing terrorist attacks by Hamas” in Gaza, the spokeswoman added.
Falk is named by the UN Human Rights Council, not by UN leader Ban Ki-moon.
Source:
[1] “Controversial UN report calls for punishing Israel”, http://azstarnet.com/news/world/controversial-un-report-calls-for-punishing-israel/article_cd7d9e97-56f9-57c9-9a85-def776bd94a7.html
[2] “UN rights expert boycott call angers US, Israel”, Oct. 26, 2012, http://gulfnews.com/news/region/palestinian-territories/un-rights-expert-boycott-call-angers-us-israel-1.1094110
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