Israel returns to UN rights forum OCTOBER 30, 2013 BY AGENCY REPORTER Leave a Comment Israel appeared before the main United Nations human rights body on Tuesday, ending a 20- month boycott of the Geneva forum which it accuses of bias against the Jewish state, Reuters reports. Eviatar Manor, Israel’s ambassador in Geneva, led its delegation to the session, held as part of the UN Human Rights Council’s examination of UN member states every four years. “It was not an easy decision to make,” Manor said in an opening statement to the talks. “But Israel’s unfair treatment must come to an end. I hope our appearance here today will go a long way to restore equality and fairness regarding Israel in Geneva, and I am confident our continued diplomatic engagement will eventually allow our return to full activity within the Council.” Some 76 countries signed up to speak during the half-day debate, with Palestine’s ambassador Ibrahim Khraishi among the first. He thanked diplomats whose behind-the-scenes negotiations brought Israel back. “I think Israel only understands the language of pressure,” Khraishi said. He called for Israel to withdraw from East Jerusalem and the West Bank, “as these are occupied Palestinian territories recognised as such by 33 states in the world last year.” “We would also like to see Israel release all Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons, because Israel has no justification for keeping them in Israeli prisons.” Switzerland said Israeli settlement-building continued in the West Bank including East Jerusalem “in spite of the fact it is illegal under international humanitarian law and has a grave impact on the… rights of the Palestinian population.” But Peter Mulrean of the United States, Israel’s main ally, praised Israel for its “strong commitment and track record in upholding human rights, political freedoms and civil liberties” Manor said the main challenge facing Israel was relations with the Palestinians, adding that the recent resumption of direct peace negotiations led by US Secretary of State, John Kerry, was a welcome step. A second group of Palestinian prisoners are being released later on Tuesday as a confidence- building measure, he said. “All of them have blood on their hands; all of them have murdered Israelis. Their release, I believe, illustrates Israel’s determination to reach an agreement with our Palestinian neighbors that will, once and for all, end the conflict.” More Stories in World Assad sacks vice premier over foreign meetings October 30th, 2013 / Comments Read Full Story Drone kills Al Shabaab bombmaker October 30th, 2013 / Comments Read Full Story Obamacare official apologises for website glitches October 30th, 2013 / Comments Read Full Story Invalid address You tried to access the address googleads.g.doubleclick.net/ pagead/ads? format=undefinedxundefined&output %3A%2F%2Fpunchng %2Fnews%2Fworld%2Fisrael- returns-to-un-rights-forum %2F&dt=1383092071610&shv=r2013 which is currently unavailable. Please make sure that the Web address (URL) is correctly spelt and punctuated, then try reloading the page. Make sure your internet connection is active and check whether other applications that rely on the same connection are working. comments powered by Disqus Recommended Stories Vigilance group chief arrested for raping MAPOLY student October 30th, 2013 / Comments Read Full Story Court remands 23-year-old for killing businessman October 30th, 2013 / Comments Read Full Story Four burnt to death in Jigawa crash October 30th, 2013 / Comments Read Full Story DJ apprehended with 52 wraps of cocaine October 30th, 2013 / Comments Read Full Story Kidnap kingpin, Kelvin, trained over 300 abductors – Suspect October 30th, 2013 / Comments Read Full Story MTN Foundation donates patrol vans to Bayelsa October 30th, 2013 / Comments Read Full Story Related Stories Aliyu still part of rebel govs –New PDP October 30th, 2013 / Comments Read Full Story Nyiam: Dialogue committee apologises to Oshiomhole October 30th, 2013 / Comments Read Full Story Anxiety over meningitis outbreak in Plateau October 30th, 2013 / Comments Read Full Story Bayelsa boils as youths protest IYC poll results October 30th, 2013 / Comments Read Full Story A’Court to hear suit seeking to sack Chime October 30th, 2013 / Comments Read Full Story Dialogue: Edo rowdy meeting vindicates us, says APC October 30th, 2013 / Comments Read Full Story Copyright © 2013 Punch Nigeria Limited Back to top
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 00:16:58 +0000
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