O.I.L. Monthly Edition (March 2015)

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Apr 14, 2015 Syria
Free Palestine rally in Cairo. Image by Gigi Ibrahim Free Palestine rally in Cairo. Image by Gigi Ibrahim

O.I.L. Monthly Edition (March 2015)

By : O.I.L Editors

 [This is a monthly archive of pieces written by Jadaliyya contributors and editors on the Occupations, Interventions, and Law (O.I.L.) Page. It also includes material published on other platforms that editors deemed pertinent to post as they provide diverse depictions of O.I.L.-related topics. The pieces reflect the level of critical analysis and diversity that Jadaliyyastrives for, but the views are solely the ones of their authors. If you are interested in contributing to Jadaliyya, send us your post with your bio and a release form to post@jadaliyya.com (click "Submissions" on the main page for more information).]

 

In Need of Aid but Hungry for Peace, Pierre Krähenbühl
Krähenbühl appeals for political action to address the plight of Palestinian refugees in the Yarmouk Camp.

O.I.L. Media Roundup (28 March), O.I.L Editors
A compendium of news articles and other materials circulating on Occupation, Intervention and Law.

Symposium: The Fourth Amendment in the Digital Age (Washington DC, 3 April), Jadaliyya Reports
American University Washington College of Law announces a discussion of the impact of information technology on Fourth Amendment protections.

Boycott, Sovereign Anxieties, and the Decolonizing Temporality of Return: A Note on Adi Ophir’s Remarks on BDS, Nasser Abourahme
Abourahme responds to Adi Ophir`s critique of BDS` "non-violent, civic, and legalistic character."

Reading Mohamedou Ould Slahi’s Guantanamo Diary, Maisaa Youssef
A review of the book Guantanamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Slahi.

Open Letter Urging ‘Docunight’ to Cancel its Participation in Festival Sponsored by Israeli Government, Jadaliyya Reports
An Open Letter from a number of academics and activists urges the Docunight program to cancel a joint screening with the New York Sephardic Jewis Film Festival.

O.I.L. Media Roundup (14 March), O.I.L EditorsA compendium of news articles and other materials circulating on Occupation, Intervention and Law.

من ذكرياتي عن العام 1948, Said Ibrahim Al-Husseini سعيد ابراهيم الحسيني
Husseini, eleven years old in 1948, shares his memories of and reflections on the Nakba.

Video: Jadaliyya Co-Editor Bassam Haddad and US Ambassador Dennis Ross Debate US Policy in the Middle East, Jadaliyya Reports
A video from  the Lund Critical Debate Series event "American Foreign Policy in the Middle East: Success or Failure," featuring Jadaliyya Co-Editor Bassam Haddad and US Ambassador Dennis Ross.

Harvard Law Women’s Day Exhibition Selects Jadaliyya Co-Editor Noura Erakat Among Its 2015 Honorees, Jadaliyya Reports
Harvard Law School announces its honorees for its 2nd Annual International Women`s Day Portrait Exhibit, featuring Jadaliyya co-editor Noura Erakat.

The Right to Food Safety: Rights-Based Dialogue as a Springboard towards State-Building, Nizar Saghieh نزار صاغية
Sagieh contributes a discussion of the legal issues underpinning the debate around a food safety law in Lebanon.

Mental Health Programs for Syrian Refugees, Hala Kerbage
Kerbage provides an overview of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support services as provided to Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
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Jan 31, 2013 Lebanon
Noura Erakat By :
Noura Erakat

Setting New Precedents: Israel Boycotts Human Rights Session

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a unique mechanism that intends to review the behavior of states without distinction. The UN General Assembly established it in 2006 as part of the functions of the Human Rights Council. It is a state-driven process to comprehensively assess a state`s compliance with human rights law. The Human Rights Council is to hold three two-week sessions each year during which time they review the files of sixteen member states. Accordingly each state will undergo the review every three years. As of 2011, all 193 UN member states had undergone a review.

The Human Rights Council conducted Israel`s UPR in 2009.  In response to the findings, Israel`s ambassador to the UN explained that it took the Review process "very seriously" because it is "an opportunity for genuine introspection, and frank discussion within the Israeli system" 

Israel`s second UPR is scheduled to take place in 2013. A coalition of Palestinian human rights organizations submitted their concise report on Israel`s violations between 2009 and 2012.  This document will not be read, however, because Israel is boycotting the UPR, citing bias.  In May 2012, Israel described the Human Rights Council as “a political tool and convenient platform, cynically used to advance certain political aims, to bash and demonize Israel.”

Israel`s condemnation of the Human Rights Council followed the body`s initiation of a fact-finding mission to investigate the impact of settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Today, the Council released its report at a press conference in Geneva. It states that Isreal must cease all of its settlement activity  "without preconditions" and  "must immediately initiate a process of withdrawal of all settlers", or face prosecution before the International Criminal Court. Sources in Geneva tell me that Israel`s threats of boycott aimed to derail the Council`s fact-finding mission`s report. Failing to do that, Israel unilaterally withdrew from its Universal Periodic Review all together.

This is not Israel`s first attack on the UN. It has cited bias in the past in response to the UN`s critique of its human rights violations, specifically after the World Conference Against Racism (2001); the International Court of Justice proceedings on the route of the Separation Barrier (2004); denial of entry to Special Rapporteur to the OPT, Richard Falk (2008); and its refusal to cooperate with the Human Rights Council`s fact-finding delegation to Gaza in the aftermath of Operation Cast Lead (2009). 

Israel is unique for its boycott, which evidences the tenuous nature of the voluntary compliance process. In fact, human rights advocates and governement officials worry that Israel will open the door to non-cooperation by other states. The battle for accountability continues even in the UN. Despite its acceptance of international law & human rights norms, even within the multilateral human rights body, the last word on human rights matters is political.