UN Human Rights Council votes against weapon sales to Israel
Plus Israel's A.I. Lavender killing machine, the World Central Kitchen slaughter, and the extraordinary letter by 600 British lawyers to their war crime government.
A week of good news for Palestine also arrived in an awful way, and realistically results in me thanking racism.
Israel’s deliberate hunting of three World Central Kitchen (WCK) trucks killed 7 aid workers. The murder of each, including Palestinian truck driver Saif Issam Abu Taha, is equally tragic and abhorrent. However, that the others were white - 3 British, 1 Australian, 1 Polish and 1 US-Canadian - electrified Western media and the political class in a way that 14,500 dead brown children haven’t (and that’s before mentioning the 3,000 child amputees, of which some survived without painkillers).
Over 600 lawyers, including a former Supreme Court President, signed a letter to the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, warning him that his government risks breaking international law by sending weapons to Israel.
The April 5 resolutions of the UN Human Rights Council are remarkable for approving Palestine’s right to self-determination, objecting to Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem and the Syrian Golan Heights, and for ordering a halt to weapon sales to Israel. The losing objector was predictably the USA, but they variously received support from arms dealer Germany and their fingers in Africa (Malawi), South America (Argentina), Central America (Paraguay), and Eastern Europe (Bulgaria). The Malawians I’ve met are not like their government, and that’s applies to most nationalities. I’ve included the full UN statement at the bottom of this page.
The right for Palestine to exist is firstly a war for worldwide hearts and minds, something more powerful than bullets and bombs. The above events are major steps into winning that marathon.
On the downside, Israel is using an almost indiscriminate A.I. killing machine called Lavender. It reminds us that various forms of digital terror is our future, especially those of us in weak countries.
My favourite video of the week is a masterclass lesson in keeping one’s cool whilst countering propaganda:
UN PRESS RELEASE
Human Rights Council Adopts Five Resolutions, including a Text Calling for an Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza, Urging States to Prevent the Continued Forcible Transfer of Palestinians Within or From Gaza, and Calling on States to Cease the Sale or Transfer of Arms to Israel
The Human Rights Council this morning adopted five resolutions, including a text in which it demanded that Israel immediately lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip and all other forms of collective punishment, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The Council called upon all States to take immediate action to prevent the continued forcible transfer of Palestinians within or from Gaza, and to cease the sale, transfer and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment to Israel.
The five resolutions concerned the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, realising the rights of the child and inclusive social protection, the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan, and Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan.
Concerning the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice, the Council adopted by a vote of 28 in favour, 6 against and 13 abstentions (as orally revised) a resolution in which it demanded that Israel, the occupying power, end its occupation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem. The Council also demanded that Israel immediately lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip and all other forms of collective punishment, and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The Council called upon all States to take immediate action to prevent the continued forcible transfer of Palestinians within or from Gaza. It called upon all States to cease the sale, transfer and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment to Israel and requested the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel to report on both the direct and indirect transfer or sale of arms, munitions, parts, components and dual use items to Israel, the occupying power, and to present its report to the Council at its fifty-ninth session.
The Council also requested the Office of the High Commissioner to deploy the additional necessary personnel, expertise and logistics to the occupied Palestinian territory country office to document and pursue accountability for violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law committed in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. The Council requested the High Commissioner for Human Rights to report on the implementation of the present resolution to the Council at its fifty-eighth session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue.
As for the rights of the child: realising the rights of the child and inclusive social protection, the Council requested the High Commissioner to prepare a report on child rights mainstreaming across the United Nations, including on the implementation of the Guidance Note of the Secretary-General, and to present the report to the Council at its fifty-ninth session. It also requested the High Commissioner to prepare a report on the rights of the child and violations of the human rights of children in armed conflict and to present the report to the Human Rights Council at its sixtieth session. It requested the Office of the High Commissioner to organise the annual full-day meeting on the rights of the child in 2026 on the theme of the rights of the child and violations of the human rights of children in armed conflicts.
On the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, the Council adopted by a vote of 42 in favour, 2 against and 3 abstentions, a resolution in which it called upon Israel, the occupying power, to immediately end its occupation of the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and to reverse and redress any impediments to the political independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Palestine, and reaffirmed its support for the solution of two States, Palestine and Israel, living side by side in peace and security. The Council urged all States to adopt measures as required to promote the realisation of the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people and decided to remain seized of the matter.
Regarding human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan, adopted by a vote of 29 in favour, 14 against and 4 abstentions, the Council demanded that Israel immediately cease all settlement-related plans and activities in the occupied Syrian Golan and determined that all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken or to be taken by Israel that seek to alter the character and legal status of the occupied Syrian Golan are null and void. It requested the Secretary-General to disseminate the resolution as widely as possible and to report on this matter to the Council at its fifty-eighth session.
As for Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan, the Council adopted by a vote of 36 in favour, 3 against and 8 abstentions (as orally revised) a resolution in which it called upon Israel to comply with all its obligations under international law and to cease immediately all actions causing the alteration of the character, status and demographic composition of the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan, and to end without delay its occupation of the territories occupied since 1967. The Council requested the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel to prepare a report on the identities of settlers, as well as settler groups and their members, that have engaged in or continue to engage in acts of terror, violence or intimidation against Palestinian civilians and the actions taken by Israel and by third States, and to present the report to the Council at its fifty-ninth session.
The webcast of the Human Rights Council meetings can be found here. All meeting summaries can be found here. Documents and reports related to the Human Rights Council’s fifty-fifth regular session can be found here.
The Council will reconvene this afternoon at 2:30 p.m. to take action on one remaining draft decision and appoint mandate holders before concluding its fifty-fifth session.
Action on Resolution under Agenda Item Two on the Annual Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General
In a resolution (A/HRC/55/L.30) on the Human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice, adopted by a vote of 28 in favour, 6 against and 13 abstentions (as orally revised), the Council demands that Israel, the occupying power, end its occupation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem; also demands that Israel immediately lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip and all other forms of collective punishment; calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, for immediate emergency humanitarian access and assistance, and for the urgent restoration of basic necessities to the Palestinian population in Gaza; calls upon all States to take immediate action to prevent the continued forcible transfer of Palestinians within or from Gaza; calls upon all States to cease the sale, transfer and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment to Israel; urges all States to continue to provide emergency assistance to the Palestinian people and calls upon all States to ensure that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East receives predictable sustained and sufficient funding to fulfil its mandate; invites the General Assembly to recommend that the Government of Switzerland promptly convene the Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Convention on measures to enforce the Convention in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem; requests the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel to report on both the direct and indirect transfer or sale of arms, munitions, parts, components and dual use items to Israel, the occupying power, and to analyse the legal consequences of these transfers, and to present its report to the Council at its fifty-ninth session; requests the Secretary-General to ensure the availability of all additional resources, including through voluntary resources, necessary to enable the Commission of Inquiry to carry out its mandate; requests the Office of the High Commissioner to deploy the additional necessary personnel, expertise and logistics to the occupied Palestinian territory country office to document and pursue accountability for violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law committed in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem; and requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to report on the implementation of the present resolution to the Council at its fifty-eighth session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue; and decides to remain seized of the matter.
The results of the vote are as follows:
In favour (28): Algeria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Burundi, Chile, China, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Eritrea, Finland, Gambia, Ghana, Honduras, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Qatar, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, and Viet Nam.
Against(6): Argentina, Bulgaria, Germany, Malawi, Paraguay and United States.
Abstentions (13): Albania, Benin, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, France, Georgia, India, Japan, Lithuania, Montenegro, Netherlands, and Romania.
Action on Resolution under Agenda Item Three on the Promotion and Protection of All Human Rights, Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, including the Right to Development
In a resolution (A/HRC/55/L.18/Rev.1) on the Rights of the child: realising the rights of the child and inclusive social protection, adopted without a vote, the Council calls upon States to consider ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocols thereto, and calls for renewed efforts towards their full implantation by all parties. The Council also urges States to ensure that all children have access to inclusive social protection. The Council requests the Secretary-General to expand the capacities of the Office of the High Commissioner, to advance child rights mainstreaming, in particular child participation and child safeguarding, to provide advice and technical assistance on issues concerning the implementation of the human rights of children to States, and to all relevant United Nations organizations and bodies. The Council also requests the High Commissioner to prepare a report on child rights mainstreaming across the United Nations, including on the implementation of the Guidance Note of the Secretary-General and to present the report to the Council at its fifty-ninth session. Finally, the Council requests the High Commissioner to prepare a report on the rights of the child and violations of the human rights of children in armed conflict, to make the report available in an accessible and child-friendly format and to present the report to the Human Rights Council at its sixtieth session, and requests the Office of the High Commissioner to organise the annual full-day meeting on the rights of the child in 2026 on the theme of the rights of the child and violations of the human rights of children in armed conflicts.
Before the Council adopted the resolution without a vote, it voted on and rejected four amendments: A/HRC/55/L.37, A/HRC/55/L.39, A/HRC/55/L.41, and A/HRC/55/L.42.
Action on Resolutions under Agenda Item Seven on the Human Rights Situation in Palestine and Other Occupied Arab Territories
In a resolution (A/HRC/55/L.13) on the Right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, adopted by a vote of 42 in favour, 2 against and 3 abstentions, the Council calls upon Israel, the occupying power, to immediately end its occupation of the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and to reverse and redress any impediments to the political independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Palestine, and reaffirms its support for the solution of two States, Palestine and Israel, living side by side in peace and security; calls upon all States to ensure their obligations of non-recognition, non-aid or assistance with regard to the serious breaches of peremptory norms of international law by Israel in order to ensure the exercise of the right to self-determination, and also calls upon them to cooperate further to bring, through lawful means, an end to these serious breaches and a reversal of the illegal policies and practices of Israel; urges all States to adopt measures as required to promote the realisation of the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, and to render assistance to the United Nations in carrying out the responsibilities entrusted to it by the Charter regarding the implementation of this right; and decides to remain seized of the matter.
The results of the vote are as follows:
In favour (42): Algeria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Qatar, Romania, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, and Viet Nam.
Against (2): Paraguay and United States.
Abstentions (3): Albania, Argentina, and Cameroon.
In a resolution (A/HRC/55/L.14) on Human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan, adopted by a vote of 29 in favour, 14 against and 4 abstentions, the Council calls upon Israel, the occupying power, to comply with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Human Rights Council, in particular Security Council resolution 497 (1981); demands that Israel immediately cease all settlement-related plans and activities in the occupied Syrian Golan; determines that all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken or to be taken by Israel that seek to alter the character and legal status of the occupied Syrian Golan are null and void; requests the Secretary-General to bring the present resolution to the attention of all Governments, the competent United Nations organs, specialised agencies, international and regional intergovernmental organizations and international humanitarian organizations, to disseminate it as widely as possible and to report on this matter to the Council at its fifty-eighth session; and decides to continue its consideration of the human rights violations in the occupied Syrian Golan at its fifty-eighth session.
The results of the vote are as follows:
In favour (29): Algeria, Bangladesh, Benin, Brazil, Burundi, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Gambia, Ghana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Qatar, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, and Viet Nam.
Against (14): Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Montenegro, Netherlands, Paraguay, and United States.
Abstentions (4): Albania, Argentina, Cameroon, and Romania.
In a resolution (A/HRC/55/L.28) on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan, adopted by a vote of 36 in favour, 3 against and 8 abstentions (as orally revised), the Council calls upon Israel to comply with all its obligations under international law and to cease immediately all actions causing the alteration of the character, status and demographic composition of the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan, and to end without delay its occupation of the territories occupied since 1967; urges all States and international organizations to ensure that they are not taking actions that recognise, aid or assist the expansion of settlements or the construction of the wall in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem; requests the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel to prepare a report on the identities of settlers, as well as settler groups and their members, that have engaged in or continue to engage in acts of terror, violence or intimidation against Palestinian civilians and the actions taken by Israel and by third States, and to present the report to the Council at its fifty-ninth session; requests the Secretary-General to allocate the resources necessary to prepare the requested report; requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to report on the implementation of the provisions of the present resolution to the Council at its fifty-eighth session; and decides to remain seized of the matter.
The results of the vote are as follows:
In favour (36): Algeria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Burundi, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Finland, France, Gambia, Ghana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Qatar, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, and Viet Nam.
Against (3): Malawi, Paraguay, and United States.
Abstentions (8): Albania, Argentina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Georgia, Germany, Lithuania, and Romania.
PS: This is a news update and not an article. I will obey your command on what to write once the poll closes.
The video on 'Lavender" is chilling and a description of what is coming for all of us.
The Guardian had an interesting piece on a new book: "Top Israeli spy chief exposes his true identity in online security lapse: Exclusive: Yossi Sariel unmasked as head of Unit 8200 and architect of AI strategy after book written under pen name reveals his Google account"
The story of how the author's name was revealed is rather humorous, though the topic and the implications of where AI warfare around the world is going is terrifying. I want to read the book, but wait to find a used copy. I try to avoid sending money to war criminals whenever possible. As an American, I do more than enough of that just paying my taxes.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/05/top-israeli-spy-chief-exposes-his-true-identity-in-online-security-lapse
O Brien doing what he does best. He has an audience of thousands, so it’s worth it. For me, with a tiny audience, responding to Israel supporters isn’t. There is no getting through to them, by appeal to facts or humanity. Many still repeat the mass rape and beheaded babies rubbish. Also seeing American racists coming out of the woodwork. Not so much supporting Israel as cheering the mass murder of “dirty desert rats” like me. What makes it heavy on the heart is how obvious it is that Israel is not a friend of humanity. Your average Palestinian in their ancient olive grove is…or was.