After months of threats, the Trump Administration announced Tuesday that they are withdrawing the United States from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Officials said the move was because the body is too often critical of Israel’s human rights record.
Israel has long agitated for the US to withdraw from the body, and ratchets that up every time the UN starts investigating a new round of killings in the occupied territories. The US has been talking up this move for awhile.
The outgoing UNHRC leader, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said it was “disappointing, if not really surprising.” He also said the “US should be stepping up, not stepping back.” Zeid’s last address to the forum as leader came Monday, during which he criticized the US over its treatment of undocumented migrants at the border.
That’s probably not the direct reason for the US withdrawal, given how long they’ve threatened to do so. Distancing the US from UN bodies over Israel is a long-standing policy across several administrations, and was likely just a matter of timing.
I’d think that this would be a good thing. This way we can’t keep Israel from being censored by the HRC. Besides, when was the last time we even bothered to protect humans from being abused? Not for a long time in countries like Saudi Arabia, the slave trade that is happening in Libya as we speak, Israeli attacks on Palestinians and countless other countries?
Israel has been under continual attack from the day it declared independence. Who has a better human rights record under those circumstances? Certainly not us. We put American citizens of Japanese descent into concentration camps. We confiscated Joe DiMaggio’s father’s fishing boat.
.. if they’d just stop the continual bull-dozing and settlement expansion…… South side of Chicago is under more constant attack that Israel, by far.
That’s strange – all you read in the News here is that Israel is bombing another one of their neighbors, not the other way around.
Israel has been getting this country to attack its enemies to make them the only superpower in the Middle East. Israeli troops are too cowardly to do their own fighting themselves. The cowards seem to only be able to attack defenseless Palestinians. Brace, are they not?
“Israeli troops are too cowardly to do their own fighting themselves.”
I see that claim made here quite often.
Any evidence for it?
In the absence of such evidence, my assumption is that, like the soldiers of every other country, IDF troops go where they’re sent and do what they’re told.
The devil is also in the money. When it comes to Israel, one of the most artificial countries ever [Kissinger disagrees with me: he says Bosnia is an artificial country] the Satan is also in Die Weisse Yid’sche money and so far the Satan always sided with US Congress and religious right and Israel.
And even god[s] can’t stop the Devil from being fully employed and joyous!
The UN “Human Rights” Council avoids confronting most of the worst violators and even allows those countries on the council!
Their only work product is a consistent condemnation of Israel and
almost nothing else.
They have condemned Israel more than NKorea!
It’s a sham waste of time and money, ADIOS!
Israel should be condemned more than North Korea. How did that recent bill to recognize Arabs as equal to Jews go? Oh, that’s right, it wasn’t even allowed to be debated. Having a nuclear stockpile while demanding the region be nuke free and being a practicing Apartheid regime that opens fire into crowds of unarmed protesters makes one worthy of any scorn.
Unarmed people can kill. Children can kill.
Kerala man beaten to death by lynch mob | GulfNews.com
Teen Mob Randomly Beats Man to Death on NJ Street: Prosecutors …
Mentally unstable man beaten to death in Thane – YouTube
Man beaten to death by mob for allegedly kidnapping girl in Jaipur …
Tribal man beaten to death for allegedly stealing food, people click …
Liveleak.com – Man Beaten to Death by Mob for Raping a 7 Year Old
Guttenberg Man Beaten To Death By Mob Of Teens | 1010 WINS
That would be a good argument if the IDF had sustained any casualties. You’d think they’d do a false flag on themselves just to convince the world their barbaric rules of engagement were necessary.
Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel because Egypt was afraid of Israel’s nukes. That peace treaty has saved thousands of Egyptian & Israeli lives.
Otherwise, Egypt would have destroyed Israel by now, right? They were on the verge of invasion and they did a face palm and said, “damn, Israel has nukes”
Ok – so you support Iran nukes to make Israel afraid of Iran and that will then results in a peace treaty and save thousands of Iranian and Israeli lives. Good.
Israel has done far more damage than North Korea, and is rewarded for it by the craven USA. Iran is not a danger to anyone, but Israel has made the whole region much more unstable and unfair. You like it-you have the Nikki Haley applause.
I said pretty much the same thing but my post didn’t get through moderation. I used the J word but only to say that the J’s don’t think Arabs are equal to them and wouldn’t debate a bill in the Knesset that said as much.
It got through moderation — it’s just that I’ve been busy and haven’t been by to check comments as often as usual today. Sorry about that.
It’s Arabs who say “The Jews are our dogs!” & “Jews are the descendants of apes & pigs.”
Do Arabs have equal rights? And is “cockroach” a term of endearment?
So, … human rights are worse in Israel than NKorea or Venezuela????
Compare women’s rights in NKorea, any ME Muslim country, Venezuela
India or Mexico with Israel, then get back to me.
Your hatred is blinding you.
I have no hatred, just powers of observation and judgment which you clearly lack. To be able to avoid the images of Israeli murders of Palestinians or the laws of Israel on non-Jews (male or female) or the constant interference of Israel in US policies affecting us all shows great deliberate blindness to facts.
Pales in comparison to those other countries.
Grading your own “powers” may be the problem.
Self-defense is not murder.
By FAAAAAR! You cannot compare it! Venezuela vored and voted numerous times against candidates put foorward by US. They will rather eat grass then have the corporate sharks tske over the power. There is solidarity and determination. Sure, Soros can pay thousands of students and other vlueless characters to protest. But it is not making a difference in the face of voters. Their voting system is one of the best in the world.
Before accepting our corporate media rubbish on Venezuela — get educated. It is much easier today with internet. Learn how to dig for information, how to notice a pattern in propaganda, how to identify independ information. It will do you good.
As for Notth Korea, please. It is an agricultura country, with Amish level of technology. The stories about hunger are lies, and our own concepts of repression are faulty. We think everybody is unfree, while not noticing our completely controlled press in service of chosen elites. Our judiciary being compromised by politics, our legislative body sold to highest bidder. So, what has North Korea done, other then catching people crossing border illegally? We are not too nice to those ourselves. People with highest integrity revealing government vile deeds against our own population, are running from the long arm of our Government, like Snowden or Assange.
But it is good that US is off the body that has slwsyd been politicized. They defend terrorists, while blaming governments for fighting them.
So, with US out, there will be no more any need for US to orchestrate ganging up on its demonization target, nor endlessly defend Israel.
Excellent move.
So, … if I gave free passage and citizenship for a Venezuelan family to Israel,
do you think they would take it?
Depends on what religion they were.
Nonsense, they’d grab that ticket and ride faster than you could say
Mad-man Maduro!
Of course they would, but that western-style (ha ha) democracy in the Middle East wouldn’t take them unless they were *ewish..
They would probably convert to get out of Maduro-h3LL!!!
Of course they would, but that western-style (ha ha) democracy in the Middle East wouldn’t take them unless they were Jewish.
You cannot br that naive. If Jewish, sure. Citizenship or paid passage is not offered to anyone. In fact, Israel is in the process of deporting African migrants that were allowed entry, but are now not having jobs, and deportations are brutal and efficient, outside of our tighteous media gaze. Venezuelans may be poor — chiefly due to our blockade, but they are not stupid.
If skmebody is offering college scholarship, sure, they will take it. But are not likely to jump off the cliff and trust Jewish state bearing gifts.
They — like anybody else -/ may leave for better opportunities if they have friends and relatives giving them shelter and support until they stand on their feet. And if we stop our supremacist shenanigans, letting people run their country the way they want, and stop telling them what to fo, wjom to trade with, and how to run their economy, stop pushing IMF loan drugs on countries, guaranteed to drive them into debt slavery — we would save ourselves some money, and leave grateful people alone.
Depends on what their lives would like after they arrived on their “Free Passage”… &… Doesn’t Israel deny “democratic rights” to non Jews? So it seems the answer to your Question depends on whether the family was Jewish or not…
For the Palestinians, yes!!! its not only worse, its WAAY WAAY worse.
ONLY————–because Palestinians MAKE it worse!
Sure – those doggone people in the Warsaw Ghetto just MADE it worse, too, must be according to your illogic.
Not even remotely analogous.
Right on point and don’t need a remote to point to the similarity.
The Warsaw Ghetto and Gaza have nothing in common. The Warsaw Ghetto was a piece in the diabolical puzzle of the Jewish Holocaust by the Nazis. Gaza’s security situation is caused by Israeli reaction to Palestinian terrorism, or belligerence, if you prefer that term. The Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto committed no crime and did not provoke any Nazi aggression through violence. Palestinians in Gaza have been attacking the Jews of Israel since Israel’s founding. Through Fedayeen and terrorist attacks, Palestinians in Gaza have forced Israel to defend its citizens through measures that have had an adverse effect on other Palestinians in Gaza. The Nazis completely liquidated the Warsaw Ghetto in the course of three years, killing around 400,000 Jews. After over 60 years of struggle, including nearly 50 years of Jewish dominion over Gaza, around 25,000 Palestinians have been killed in the entire struggle (not just Gaza), many of whom were combatants. Under 50 years of Israeli control, Gaza has actually increased its population by 500%. Finally, Israel has performed an admirable job, under fire, of providing aid to the Palestinians, though much of that aid is seized by Hamas, a terrorist organization.
As the horrific events unfold on Mount Sinjar and the Yazidis there face a massacre at the hands of the Islamic State, the world must be outraged by a real genocide occurring in our time. By falsely hijacking the example of the Warsaw Ghetto in an attempt to exploit the memory of the Holocaust, anti-Israel advocates demean the memory of the Holocaust, falsely malign Israel, and desensitize the world to actual genocides occurring in our midst.
If you still think that the Warsaw Ghetto and Gaza are comparable situations you are either willfully ignorant or delusional.
Arabs are killing Arabs & Muslims are killing Muslims, but you’re blaming the Jews.
Iran has said again & again that it wants Israel gone & it has given weapons to Hezbollah & Hamas which are organizations that are trying to exterminate the Jews.
We have to distinguish between real human rights abuses as they occur in Palestine, Yemen, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Gitmo and unsubstantiated allegations for political propaganda purposes in countries we perceive to be our enemies where we strive for regime change.
So, … NKorea was only a “perceived” enemy?
Yes ! The Industrial Military Complex MIC needs enemies in order to continue do business. So they create “enemies” and the corporate MSM makes the public follows. Never ending wars, started with 9/11 in Afghanistan.
Well the Korean War started in ’49 before MIC and the NKoreans
never made any efforts towards peace over the ensuing years.
So I think your view re NKorea is not objective but biased towards the “everything bad is the US’s fault” mantra, not fact.
Not everything – just the Congress being a Fifth Column for Israel’s Likud interests.
Your laser focused antipathy for Likud is noted.
So what? You think American’s should be questioned about any opposition to any FOREIGN political party? Maybe you should carry your crusade in that regard to forge an end to the enmity between Republicans and Democrats right here in the good ol’ USA if you’re so concerned about a foreign political party
So what?
You are blinded by your antipathy.
It wasn’t before the MIC. The MIC came out of World War II, it was effectively codified in law by the National Security Act of 1947, and the Korean War was its first big showcase project — as well as the Soviet Union’s first big push against the “containment” doctrine and the PRC’s first demonstration that it could go toe to toe with US military power on a conventional battlefield.
No, not everything bad is the US’s fault, and no, North Korea’s regime is hardly an exemplar of “the good guys,” but the situation on the Korean peninsula has in effect been maintained in stalemate for 65 years by the US, China, and previously by the Soviet Union. Left to themselves, North and South would almost certainly have resolved it, one way or another, either with a peace agreement or with a final military result, long before now.
The origins of the war are somewhat clouded in myth for Americans as well. We hear a lot about the North Korean People’s Army coming across the 38th parallel, but not very much about Syngman Rhee’s apparent preparations for doing the same thing in the other direction.
Dang Thomas, nicely done, no disagreement.
Appreciate the balanced assessment.
In 2002 the Bush administration walked away from a near peace settlement with NK blaming – of course – NK. Bush subsequently began calling NK part of the “axel of evil”. US – of course – has never walked away from agreements, or has it ? Ever heard of the recent Iran agreement ? The MIC is currently firmly in the saddle and calling the shots. America first!!! US should be careful the door won’t hit it in the ass when leaving the room…..You should brush up on recent history and learn to do some critical thinking………..
Poppycock, Bush, like Clinton and 0bama, enabled NKorea.
Fortunately Trump appears to have his number, which will diminish the influence of the MIC if you and your comrades ever grasp the fact that Trump isn’t serving them.
Statistics from Bureau of investigative Journalism: Bush dropped 24 bombs a day Obama beat him by 34 bombs daily Trump excelled them all by 121 bombs a day. Soaring the military budget to $ 21 trillion in his first year. The victims were never identified. And so the carnage goes on year after year. And this during undeclared wars which under international law constitutes warcrimes. Who benefits? ( you will no doubt come up with some silly remark, but realise that this reply is not meant for you as you keep defending the indefensible.
Irrelevant, Bush had 2 wars going (one very legitimate);
0bama was spreading his “Arab Spring”, totally illegitimate;
Trump is destroying ISIS, an enemy,
making peace with NKorea,
but still has to leave Iraq and Afghanistan to be regarded as a positive leader, we will see.
It certainly wasn’t an enemy of necessity. A lot of work and a lot of money went into making damn sure it remained an enemy for 65 years. Hell, we only pulled that shit with Vietnam, and in a more limited manner, for 20.
Well, Trump seems to be fixing that, finally, don’t you agree?
And I do agree with you re Vietnam, thanks to LBJ.
Trump is either trying to fix that, or trying to appear to fix that. I’ve certainly tried to be supportive of him on the subject, and will assume the former until and unless it turns out to be the latter.
One thing I enjoy about submitting columns to lots of newspapers is the reader responses. They run about half and half — Knapp is a Trump shill, or Knapp is a Trump hater.
My favorite headline ever was on May 30 in a chain of New York weeklies in which someone asserted the latter over my op-ed on Trump’s “withdrawal” from the nuclear deal:
KNAPP WRONG
Nice work, “half and half” seems to indicate objectivity.
I’m rooting for Trump’s success, but we will have to wait and see.
Would you still be rooting for his success, if he changed policy on Israel, seeing you appear to be a one-trick pony.
If he changed policy re Israel,
it would depend on the reason for that change.
In spite of your desperate hope and desire, I do not give Israel a free pass.
That’s funny.
No you don’t – only a segment of Israel’s population gets support from you.
Depends on what you mean by “objectivity.” Some people confuse that with “neutrality.” I try to be reasonably objective in pursuing what facts I have to reasonable conclusions instead of trying to bend those facts to the conclusion I prefer. I’m sure I fail miserably at those attempts sometimes, though.
I am rooting for peace on the Korean peninsula.
If that is Trump’s real goal, I’m rooting for him as well on that subject.
But I’m going to reserve judgment on whether 1) that’s his real goal, or 2) he’s setting up a casus belli by nearing a deal and then claiming the North got unreasonable and war is necessary or 3) as sometimes seems, and as some people assume, he’s just winging it all the time and playing for applause and whatever happens happens.
I am encouraged by the child abduction outcry and his response to it. That response seems to indicate that he DOES respond to political pressure. Although it may be that that pressure has to be applied by, or via, his wife and/or daughter.
Well, even though we disagree on many issues,
Israel/Palestinians for instance,
I do applaud your measured style and focus on analysis sans the typical Liberal/Conservative dichotomy.
I fully agree with your above post.
Cheers.
Surprise, the USA is on it’s knees before it’s true Master!! Prez. Trump is not really, “America First”.
When you claim to be a “western style democracy” but treat huge swaths of people under your overall control/authority like the Germans treated one of their specific population sectyors in the 1930s, you have a higher level of responsibility than your standard run-of-the-mill dictatorship (many of whom are our good friends). Furthermore, our tax dollars going to support the apartheid regime should make it our business to stop it with all that hot air about our concern about human rights.
In Israel, Jewish babies & Arab babies are born in the same delivery room & years later sit next to each other in university. That’s the opposite of apartheid.
Do Jews and Arabs have equal rights in Israel?
You know better. Only in your propagandistic imagination. How come all the people in all the territories that Israel has dominion over like the West Bank and Gaza, can’t vote for Prime Minister?
Why are their separate roads, laws, privileges for the Chosen ones and not the Palestinians in Israel?
Times of Israel article today showing the love of Palestinian toddlers:
Far-right activists chanted slogans cheering for the death of an 18-month old Palestinian outside a courthouse in central Israel as the late toddler’s family walked near them following a hearing Tuesday.
Referencing toddler Ali Saad Dawabshe, killed in a 2015 arson attack carried out by Je**** terrorists, right-wing extremists chanted “Where is Ali? Ali’s dead,” “Ali’s on the grill” and other hate slogans.
Times of Israel article today showing the love of Palestinian toddlers:
Far-right activists chanted slogans cheering for the death of an 18-month old Palestinian outside a courthouse in central Israel as the late toddler’s family walked near them following a hearing Tuesday.
Referencing toddler Ali Saad Dawabshe, killed in a 2015 arson attack carried out by Jewish terrorists, right-wing extremists chanted “Where is Ali? Ali’s dead,” “Ali’s on the grill” and other hate slogans.
I fully agree with leaving. We cannot cry about gassing then support another nation as they use tear gas and shot civilians from long distance. We cry about the treatment of one nation as it bombs neighbors killing many. We should just sit at the security council and veto all resolutions we do not like as others will do for ours. UN is useless and actually should just be removed from USA. We can just sit in our new facilities and have our ambassador send money to build new illegal settlements.
Makes sense – the only true human beings in the World are Israeli Jews – Right? And America’s only purpose is to serve them – Right?
Maybe it will allow for a better environment at the UN.
My comment was deleted for no apparent reason.
Ooooo What a surprise…. NOT…!!!!!!!!!!
Well, except that it wasn’t deleted. Except for that there.
It was here and then it was gone. And the only word that made it gone was “Jews”, which will make this comment “under moderation”.
In other words, it wasn’t deleted, it was held for moderation.
You have no idea whether or not it was the word “Jews” which caused it to be held for moderation.
The reason you have no idea whether or not it was the word “Jews” which caused it to be held for moderation is that Antiwar.com does not comment on the specifics of its filters. People try to game the guidelines to get around them enough as it is without handing them a manual for doing so.
On the other side of the coin, I’ve been pushing for Antiwar.com to publish its general commenting guidelines as a permanent page so that I don’t have to explain them every few days. I think that will be going up soon.
When I posted the comment about it being deleted, that’s what I thought at the time since it disappeared after it said it would be moderated. But whatever man.
The only reason I said it was the word Jews that held it up for moderation was because every time I’ve said the word Jews it gets held up for moderation. Just like this post will be. I could say I love Jews and it’d be held up for moderation.
In other words, it wasn’t deleted, it was held for moderation.
You have no idea whether or not it was the word “Jews” which caused it to be held for moderation.
The reason you have no idea whether or not it was the word “Jews” which caused it to be held for moderation is that Antiwar.com does not comment on the specifics of its filters. People try to game the guidelines to get around them enough as it is without handing them a manual for doing so.
On the other side of the coin, I’ve been pushing for Antiwar.com to publish its general commenting guidelines as a permanent page so that I don’t have to explain them every few days. I think that will be going up soon.
In other words, it wasn’t deleted, it was held for moderation.
You have no idea whether or not it was the word “Jews” which caused it to be held for moderation.
The reason you have no idea whether or not it was the word “Jews” which caused it to be held for moderation is that Antiwar.com does not comment on the specifics of its filters. People try to game the guidelines to get around them enough as it is without handing them a manual for doing so.
On the other side of the coin, I’ve been pushing for Antiwar.com to publish its general commenting guidelines as a permanent page so that I don’t have to explain them every few days. I think that will be going up soon.
When you claim to be a “western style democracy” but treat huge swaths of people under your overall control/authority like the Germans treated the Jews in the 1930s, you have a higher level of responsibility than your standard run-of-the-mill dictatorship (many of whom are our good friends). Furthermore, our tax dollars going to support the apartheid regime should make it our business.
Even pretending to have an interest in human rights is a mockery for the USA, under any administration.
Hey, at least they are being honest about supporting the heelies over human rights.
Now if only the Saudis do the same, the committee will much appreciate it.
Another milestone in the decline of western civilization.
Does every post with the word Muslim get held up for moderation?
No.
Does every post with the word Jews get held up for moderation?