With the heady title With Ban Ki-Moot Mute, Obama's US Nixes Gaza Investigation Cite in UN Council Inner City press teases us the only UN investigation into the recent bombardment of Gaza may come from Israel itself.
As Richard Falk, UN investigator and professor emeritus of international law at Princeton sees evidence of war crimes in Gaza and asserts "International law, does not give Israel the legal foundation for claiming self-defense,", once again the US thwarts investigations at the UN.
follow below the fold
UNITED NATIONS, January 22 -- Returning voiceless from the Gaza Strip and Israel, the UN's Ban Ki-moon sat Wednesday afternoon in the Security Council chamber, listening as his American chief of Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe read out his call for an investigation of Israel's bombings of UN facilities, in the first instance by Israel itself, and for humanitarian aid and reconstruction. While the shift to self-investigation became the focus of the press corps waiting impatiently at the stakeout, inside the consultations room the negotiation of a Council press statement took a surprising turn.
A proposal was made
and most members agreed to, a paragraph mirroring Ban's muted investigation call. But the United States, represented for now by civil servant Alejandro Wolff, was having none of it. Inner City Press is told by sources in the meeting that the US would not agree to any reference to investigations. These sources marveled that, even with Obama now in power, this would be the US position. They contrasted it to the Council's reaction to an Israeli bombing in Lebanon during the 2006 war, or to an immediate denunciation of a Sudanese attack on a convoy, which after denying, Sudan apologized for.
Well, there we have it folks. As it now stands NO one will be investigating the bombings of UN structures in Gaza with civilians killed inside.
The article goes on to predict Susan Rice, Obama's new US Ambassador to the UN will be present on Monday but they do ask 'isn't Obama already in charge?'
There is a video hook up at the link, but i am unable to open it.
Apparently Inner city press wasn't alone in questioning this lack of procedure.
But reporter after reporter zeroed in on the change. The Washington Post followed up on Inner City Press' question, noting that both John Ging and John Holmes had called for an independent investigation.
Pascoe grew testy, reminding the Press that Ban went to get a ceasefire and got one
That's all folks. This is very depressing news. It does not signify any change of position with regards to how the US has shielded Israel in the past from UN investigations. I remain very hopeful Susan Rice will deal with these situations in the future in a more pro active fashion, because things are seeming dire indeed with the present status quo.
UPDATE:
mia wants to discuss libya. this is a non issue. so non i am going to extract that part of the text from my diary.