The Missing "Plea for Justice"
By N. H. GORDON
CounterPunch
"The Presbyterian Church USA at its General Assembly (GA), July 1-10, 2010 held in Minneapolis, MN passed the recommendations of its Middle East Study Committee (MESC) after negotiations among the leadership of the MESC and the GA committee for Middle East Affairs. Among the recommendations of the Church are....
There is much that is good in these and other recommendations; however there is much that is not said.
All settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are illegal under international law. An immediate freeze both on the establishment or expansion of settlements is not sufficient. Military aid to Israel should be contingent on not only Israel’s creation of new West Bank settlements but also on its continuation of the occupation, its ignoring of United Nations Security Council resolution including resolution 194 calling on the right of return or compensation of Palestinian refugees.
The recommendations do not use the word ‘apartheid’ with respect to Israel even though clearly the laws and practices of the government of Israel constitute apartheid as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid as a crime against humanity. Further, the Presbyterian Church (USA) document refers to the wall/fence as a separation barrier which is presumably more palatable than wall/fence; however ironically separation barrier implies apartheid, which is the Afrikaans word for ‘separateness’ or ‘apartness’......"
By N. H. GORDON
CounterPunch
"The Presbyterian Church USA at its General Assembly (GA), July 1-10, 2010 held in Minneapolis, MN passed the recommendations of its Middle East Study Committee (MESC) after negotiations among the leadership of the MESC and the GA committee for Middle East Affairs. Among the recommendations of the Church are....
There is much that is good in these and other recommendations; however there is much that is not said.
All settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are illegal under international law. An immediate freeze both on the establishment or expansion of settlements is not sufficient. Military aid to Israel should be contingent on not only Israel’s creation of new West Bank settlements but also on its continuation of the occupation, its ignoring of United Nations Security Council resolution including resolution 194 calling on the right of return or compensation of Palestinian refugees.
The recommendations do not use the word ‘apartheid’ with respect to Israel even though clearly the laws and practices of the government of Israel constitute apartheid as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid as a crime against humanity. Further, the Presbyterian Church (USA) document refers to the wall/fence as a separation barrier which is presumably more palatable than wall/fence; however ironically separation barrier implies apartheid, which is the Afrikaans word for ‘separateness’ or ‘apartness’......"
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