 |
| This graphic predates the most recent Israeli WAR on Palestinians in Gaza 2024-2025 |
STATEMENT OF THE BUREAU OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY’S COMMITTEE ON THE EXERCISE OF THE INALIENABLE RIGHTS OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE
UN Palestinian Rights Committee Bureau welcomes Gaza ceasefire, demands full implementation and move towards a solution of the conflict, and condemns Israel’s UNRWA ban perpetuating Palestinian suffering
New York, 31 January 2025 – The Bureau of the UN Palestinian Rights Committee welcomes the Gaza ceasefire as a crucial step in halting the Israeli military operations on the Palestinian civilian population since October 2023 and stemming the vast human suffering and loss of life. As hundreds of thousands return to devastated homes, urgent and sustained humanitarian aid is essential to all civilians in need in Gaza. The Bureau underscores the irreplaceable role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in delivering lifesaving assistance and stabilizing the ceasefire.
The Committee Bureau strongly condemns Israel’s adoption of legislation banning UNRWA and stripping it of its privileges and immunities, obstructing its operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, in direct violation of the General Assembly mandate and resolution ES-10/25 recently adopted by the General Assembly by overwhelming majority. The Bureau calls on Israel, the occupying power, to immediately suspend and reverse the implementation of this legislation that curtails UNRWA’s vital operations and will negatively impact delivery of essential services and assistance, including education and healthcare, to the Palestine refugees.
Coming immediately after the Gaza ceasefire deal, Israel’s ban on UNRWA is a blatant move that will exacerbate Palestinian suffering – not with airstrikes and bombs, but with deprivation, hunger, and disease. As affirmed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion of July 2024, Israel, due to its status as an occupying power, has no sovereignty in any part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, where the UNRWA headquarters is located. The UNRWA ban is as unlawful as the Israeli occupation itself, which must end, as determined by the ICJ and consecutive General Assembly resolution ES-10/24 of September 2024. This unprecedented attack on a UN-mandated agency deepens the suffering of millions of Palestine refugees, for whom UNRWA is a lifeline for survival. The Agency’s operations are essential in all fields of operation, including to alleviating the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, restoring basic services and sustaining the ceasefire and cannot be replaced.
Israel’s actions violate the United Nations Charter, the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, its obligations as the occupying Power under the Fourth Geneva Convention and multiple General Assembly and Security Council resolutions. Such ongoing Israeli policies and measures will cripple humanitarian efforts, hinder Gaza’s recovery, and destabilize the ceasefire, jeopardizing regional stability. Israel must immediately cease all attacks on UNRWA and its humanitarian operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and cease all violations of international law and the human rights of the Palestinian people.
The Committee Bureau urgently appeals to the General Assembly, the Security Council, and all Member States to categorically reject Israel’s unlawful legislation, demand its immediate repeal, and insist that Israel uphold UNRWA’s mandate. The Bureau urges prompt ICJ action, as requested by the General Assembly on 19 December 2024, to urgently deliver an Advisory Opinion on the obligations of Israel in relation to the presence and activities of the United Nations, other international organizations and third States to uphold the rule of law and obligations thereunder and to avert further Palestinian suffering. The Committee Bureau reaffirms its support for the ceasefire agreement and calls for its full respect and implementation, leading to a lasting cessation of hostilities and a just, enduring peace, based on international law and the relevant UN resolutions and achieving the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and the two-State solution on the basis of the pre-1967 lines.
State Sponsored Segregation is OPPRESSION and INJUSTICE
 | ||
Segregation In The 1950s America
 The Ku Klux Klan burning a cross in Tennessee, 1948. The Ku Klux Klan employed terror in pursuit of their white supremacist agenda | 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I HAVE A DREAM "Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.But 100 years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men — yes, Black men as well as white men — would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds. But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt..." |
 |
| Israeli imposed Segregation in what had been historic Palestine 1948-2025 so far |
In 1948 United Nations Mediator Count Folke Bernadotte pointed out that "IT WOULD BE AN OFFENCE AGAINST THE PRINCIPLES OF JUSTICE IF THOSE INNOCENT VICTIMS [Palestinian men, women, & children] COULD NOT RETURN TO THEIR HOMES WHILE [Zionist] IMMIGRANTS FLOWED INTO PALESTINE TO TAKE THEIR PLACE"
2 years later
UNWRA the United Nations agency to provide education, healthcare, relief and social services to officially displaced Palestinian refugees began operations 1 May 1950.
75 year later & counting Israeli racism, injustice, supremacism, and violence is only becoming more entrenched and dangerous.
 |
2025 ‘Branded’: Satellite images show Star of David carved into GazaThe symbol, apparently created by Israeli tanks, can be seen from space in the Palestinian enclave. |
 |
| 2025 in Gaza: Palestinians re-entering their abandoned neighborhoods have found the bodies of loved ones crushed beneath the ruins of their homes. |
Stephen McCloskey condemns the ban, while Bernie Evans condemns western leaders for not standing up to protect Palestinians
Israel’s targeting of UN staff and installations
should be more than adequate grounds for it to be unseated from the UN.
It has also repeatedly defied UN resolutions as well as the July 2024 ruling of the international court of justice that declared Israel’s occupation of the Gaza strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, unlawful.The
protection of UN staff and Unrwa services in the occupied territories,
and the integrity of the rules-based order, demands concerted
multilateral action that ensures Israeli compliance with international
law.... READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/31/israel-ban-on-unrwa-in-gaza-and-the-west-bank-is-inhumane
 |
| Sign seen in Berlin Germany 2025 |
.webp) |
| Palestinian children fly kites at a school belonging to UNRWA in Gaza City on 12 March 2018 as a protest against US aid cuts (AFP) |
2018 UNWRA spokesman Sami Mshasha "There are [Israeli] think tanks, researchers and specialists whose aim is to undermine the agency," he told Middle East Eye.
“At times they try to question the neutrality of the agency and its
staff. At others they attack the curricula taught at the agency’s
schools, especially in the Palestinian territories, claiming that it
contains material promoting incitement, hate and discrimination, which
is not correct.”... READ MORE https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-unrwa-schools-united-nations
 |
| Damage at UNRWA's headquarters in Gaza City sustained during Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip. |
The UK, France & Germany urge Israel to abide by its international obligations & ensure humanitarian access. No entity can replace @UNRWA’s critical role.
We support UNRWA’s mandate & call for cooperation with international partners.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
 |
| Recent photo of how Israel targeted UNWRA schools and aid workers in Gaza |
 | |
|
 | |
|
 |
| UNRWA is committed to continuing to deliver lifesaving services |
%20has%20issued%20'stop-work%20orders'%20impacting%20multiple%20sectors%20following%20a%20directive%20from%20Secretary%20of%20State%20Marco%20Rubio%20to%20pause%20most%20US%20foreign%20aid.%20J.%20David%20Ake_Getty%20Images_File%20.webp) |
The extent of the impacts of the Trump administration’s sudden 90-day freeze of almost all foreign aid is still unclear almost a week on, as officials and aid workers overseas try to make sense of which activities must be suspended.
The suspension of foreign aid was outlined in a diplomatic cable from Secretary of State Marco Rubio last Friday.
In addition to widespread confusion around ongoing aid projects, the suspension means some aid contractors are not being paid for contracts and work that they have already completed, one aid industry source told CNN, speaking anonymously for fear of retribution.
Contractors working with USAID – many of them US-based companies and small businesses – often front the money for aid work, then submit invoices and get reimbursed later.
Now, some are not being paid for millions of dollars’ worth of services already rendered, the aid industry source said. That means there will be significant furloughs of staff at many aid contractors and subcontractors... READ MORE https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/30/world/us-foreign-aid-freeze-intl-latam/index.html
 |
Semitic languages |
Criticizing Israel is not Anti-Semitic. Semites speak Semitic languages. Palestinians are Semites, but they are erased and excluded from the definition of Anti-Semitism...
Palestinians are also being erased, excluded, and silenced by Israeli efforts to seize Palestinian land, rights, peace, and the story itself.
We know about Anti-Semitism because of the crimes against humanity committed by Nazis who were taught to hate Jewish people and others.
The first prosecution for crimes against humanity took place during the Nuremberg trials (1945-1946) against defeated leaders of Nazi Germany, laying the ground work for modern international law.
Nazis had been brainwashed by toxic propaganda to hate Jewish people. But Nazis were held accountable for their war crimes. Israelis should be too.
Arming Israel and funding Israel's violations of international law and the Palestinians basic human rights is wrong.
“Never Again means Never Again for anybody!” Every year Holocaust survivors and their descendants speak out about Israel’s cruelty towards Palestinian men, women, and children on Holocaust Memorial Day. It is not a huge crowd, but what they say is hugely important. We should listen.
Please do not demonize and silence or destroy people who speak out peacefully against corruption, injustice, racism, bigotry, and violence of every type.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
American homemaker & poet
“We must condemn antisemitism wherever and whenever it appears – as we must condemn all forms of racism, prejudice and religious bigotry which we see proliferating today.” @antonioguterres United Nations
Tlaib introduced the Stop Politicians Profiting from War Act to ban members of Congress and their families from owning defense stocks.
"Since the war in Gaza began, settler violence has intensified further, displacing entire villages for the first time. On many occasions, the Israeli army has been documented failing to stop settler attacks, or even joining in."
"“We can’t even cross the road to our olive trees now or they’ll shoot at us,” he said of the settlers. “This is our land, and our houses, but they want us to leave for good.”"
My Letters https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/letters
"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..." https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
 |
| In the aftermath of the ceasefire in Gaza, 1.9 million displaced people urgently need shelter, aid, and psycho-social support. UNRWA plays a vital role in fostering stability and resilience during this critical time. |
 |
| Gaza- Palestinian refugees |
The story: Did you believe it 30 years ago when they told you that the Oslo Accords would bring peace to the Middle East? That Israel would finally withdraw from the Palestinian territories it had illegally occupied for decades, end its brutal repression of the Palestinian people, and allow a Palestinian state to be created there? That the longest runing sore for the Arab and Muslim worlds would finally be brought to an end?
The reality: In fact, during the Oslo period, Israel stole more Palestinian land and expanded the building of illegal Jewish settlements at the fastest rate ever. Israel became even more repressive, building prison walls around Gaza and the West Bank while continuing to aggressively occupy both. Ehud Barak, Israeli prime minister of the time, “blew up” – in the words of one of his own main advisers – the US-backed negotiations at Camp David in 2000.
Weeks later, with the occupied Palestinian territories seething, opposition leader Ariel Sharon, backed by 1,000 armed Israeli troops, invaded occupied Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque – one of the holiest places for Muslims in the world. It was the final straw, triggering an uprising by Palestinians that Israel would crush with devastating military force and thereby tip the scales of popular support from the secular Fatah leadership to the Islamic resistance group Hamas.
Further afield, Israel’s ever-more abusive treatment of the Palestinians and its gradual takeover of al-Aqsa – backed by the West – served only to further radicalise the jihadist group al-Qaeda, providing the public rationale for attacking New York’s Twin Towers in 2001.... READ MORE https://www.jonathan-cook.net/blog/2025-01-30/gaza-middle-east-lies/
Hate speech incites violence and intolerance. The devastating effect of hatred is sadly nothing new. However, its scale and impact are now amplified by new communications technologies. Hate speech – including online – has become one of the most common ways of spreading divisive rhetoric on a global scale, threatening peace around the world.
The United Nations has a long history of mobilizing the world against hatred of all kinds to defend human rights and advance the rule of law. The impact of hate speech cuts across numerous UN areas of focus, from protecting human rights and preventing atrocities to sustaining peace, achieving gender equality and supporting children and youth.
Because fighting hatred, discrimination, racism and inequality are among its core principles, the United Nations is working to confront hate speech at every turn. This mission is enshrined in the UN Charter, in international human rights frameworks and in global efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
In response to the alarming trends of growing xenophobia, racism and intolerance, violent misogyny, antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred around the world, UN Secretary-General António Guterres launched the United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech on 18 June 2019. This first UN-wide initiative designed to tackle hate speech provides a road map on how the Organization can support and complement States' efforts. The strategy emphasizes the need to counter hate holistically, while respecting freedom of opinion and expression, and to collaborate with relevant stakeholders, including civil society organizations, media outlets, tech companies and social media platforms. In 2021, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming 18 June as the International Day for Countering Hate Speech.
HATE SPEECH, MIS- AND DISINFORMATION
While there are no
universally accepted definitions of hate speech mis- and
disinformation, UN entities have developed working definitions.
Hate speech, according to the
working definition in the United Nations Strategy and
Plan of Action on Hate Speech, is “any kind of communication in speech, writing
or
behaviour, that attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language with
reference to a person or a group on the basis of who they are, in other words,
based on their
religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, colour, descent, gender or other
identity factor”.
The difference between mis- and disinformation lies with intent.
Disinformation is information that is not only inaccurate, but is also intended to deceive and is spread in order to inflict harm. Misinformation refers to the unintentional spread of inaccurate information shared in good faith by those unaware that they are passing on falsehoods.
Misinformation can be rooted
in disinformation as deliberate lies and misleading narratives are weaponized
over time, fed into the public discourse and passed on unwittingly.
In practice, the distinction
between mis- and disinformation can be difficult to
determine.
Mis- and disinformation and
hate speech are related but distinct phenomena, with
certain areas of overlap and difference in how they can be identified,
mitigated and
addressed. All three pollute the information ecosystem and threaten human
progress.
The devastating effect of hatred is sadly nothing new. However, its scale and
impact are now amplified by new communications technologies. Hate speech
– including online – has become one of the most common ways of spreading
divisive rhetoric on a global scale, threatening peace around the world
Tlaib introduced the Stop Politicians Profiting from War Act to ban members of Congress and their families from owning defense stocks.
 | |
| Rashida Tlaib represents Michigan's 12th District in U.S. Congress. |
It’s incredibly disturbing that children in our country are drinking lead-contaminated water — while the U.S. Congress passed another record-breaking military budget of $895.2 billion. That’s nearly a trillion dollars going to weapons and war, and the Department of Defense can’t even keep track of where it’s all going. The Pentagon just failed its seventh audit in a row.
Even more disturbing is the fact that some members of Congress who own stock in war manufacturers benefit financially when they vote to pass funding for war.
When it comes to the Pentagon budget,
I never hear my colleagues ask, “How are we going to pay for it?” But
when it comes to addressing critical issues here at home, like ensuring
every American has clean drinking water, fighting the climate crisis,
providing universal school meals to every hungry child, ensuring quality
childcare for every family or guaranteeing health care as a human
right, my colleagues tell me that we just don’t have the money.... READ MORE https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2025/01/29/rashida-tlaib-federal-budget-war-profiteering-congress-defense-stocks/77854378007/?taid=679a0db8bd13980001f8af50
