SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
linda thomas greenfield
US Snubs Letter Defending United Nations Chief From Israeli Attack
The Chile-led effort warned that Israel's decision to ban U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres would "undermine the United Nations' ability to carry out its mandate."
Oct 13, 2024
The U.S. was not among the more than 100 United Nations member states that signed a new letter of support for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres after Israel's foreign minister declared him "persona non grata" and barred him from entering the country.
The letter, spearheaded by Chile, said Israel's attack on Guterres would "undermine the United Nations' ability to carry out its mandate, which includes mediating conflicts and providing humanitarian support."
"In the Middle East, this could further delay an end to all hostilities and the establishment of a credible path towards the two-state solution, with the state of Palestine and Israel living side by side in peace and security," the letter continues. "We reaffirm our full support and confidence in the secretary-general and his work."
Signatories to the letter include France, China, Lebanon, Iran, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Brazil, and the African Union. Notably absent from the list were nations that have supplied Israel with arms during its yearlong assault on Gaza, including the U.S., Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
104 #UN Member States and the African Union issue letter expressing support for #UNSG @antonioguterres in response to #Israel declaring him persona non grata. @ChileONU initiated the effort which "urges all parties to engage constructively with the United Nations to seek a… pic.twitter.com/ixNKquyDV0
— Rami Ayari (@Raminho) October 11, 2024
Earlier this month, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared Guterres banned from entering Israel, falsely accusing the U.N. chief of failing to condemn Iran's ballistic missile barrage and the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023. Katz reiterated his position on Sunday, writing on social media that "Guterres can continue seeking support from U.N. member states, but the decision will not change."
Guterres, a persistent advocate of a cease-fire agreement in the region and critic of the United States' failure to exert pressure on its ally, did not respond directly to the Israeli foreign minister's statement, but a spokesperson for the U.N. chief called it "one more attack on the United Nations staff that we've seen from the government of Israel."
The letter of support for Guterres came after Israeli forces repeatedly fired on U.N. peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon, injuring at least four soldiers. Guterres called the attacks "intolerable."
On Saturday, dozens of nations that contribute troops to the U.N. Interim Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) issued a joint statement condemning "recent attacks on the UNIFIL peacekeepers" and calling for an international investigation of the Israeli attack last week.
"We urge the parties to the conflict to respect UNIFIL's presence, which entails the obligation to guarantee the safety and security of its personnel at all times, so that they can continue to implement its mandate and continue their work of mediation and support for peace and stability in Lebanon and the entire region," the statement added.
The U.S. does not contribute troops to UNIFIL. In a statement on Thursday, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the Biden administration is "deeply concerned about reports that Israeli forces fired on positions and a tower used by UNIFIL
peacekeepers in Lebanon."
Jameel Jaffer, director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, wrote in response, "I don't believe anymore that the Biden administration is 'concerned' about any of this—the killing of thousands of civilians, the targeting of journalists and aid workers and peacekeepers."
"What actual evidence is there of this supposed concern?" he asked.
Keep ReadingShow Less
'We Will Not Arrest Him': UN Ambassador Says US Would Flout ICC Warrant Against Netanyahu
"I think you know the answer," Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a dismissive response to a question about whether the U.S. would abide by an ICC arrest warrant against the Israeli prime minister.
Sep 13, 2024
The Biden administration's envoy to the United Nations said Thursday that the U.S. would not abide by an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"I think you know the answer to the question about whether we will arrest [Prime Minister] Netanyahu," Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in response to Sarah Leah Whitson of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN). "He was here in the United States a few weeks ago and he was not arrested."
When Whitson pointed out that ICC judges have not yet approved prosecutor Karim Khan's application for an arrest warrant against Netanyahu, Thomas-Greenfield said: "Okay, well, let me be clear: We will not arrest him."
Watch the exchange:
"Are you going to abide by the ICJ orders? Are you going to arrest Netanyahu... if he turns up in the US?" DAWN's @sarahleah1 asks @USAmbUN at @CFR_org, referencing ICJ opinion on illegality of Israel's occupation and pending ICC Netanyahu arrest warrant. pic.twitter.com/sxkUInyvFp
— DAWN MENA (@DAWNmenaorg) September 12, 2024
Thomas-Greenfield's remarks came days after Khan urged ICC judges to expedite their decision on his May request for arrest warrants against Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leaders, citing "ongoing criminality" in the Gaza Strip.
Khan said earlier this week that the arrest warrants are needed to "prevent the continuing commission of the crimes alleged," including the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare and "extermination."
The Biden administration has opposed Khan's investigation of war crimes in the Palestinian territories and Israel since it began in 2021, arguing that the ICC does not have jurisdiction there. Israel, like the U.S., is not a party to the Rome Statute, which created the ICC.
Thomas-Greenfield reiterated U.S. opposition to ICC prosecutor's arrest warrant request on Thursday even after a key ally, the United Kingdom, dropped its objections to the proposed warrants against Israeli leaders in the face of Gaza's worsening humanitarian catastrophe. The U.S. has been accused of hypocrisy for opposing the arrest warrant request for Israeli leaders while readily supporting the ICC's arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over war crimes in Ukraine, even though neither Russia nor Ukraine is a state party to the Rome Statute.
The U.S. envoy also said Thursday that she does "not believe the Palestinians, as they exist right now, have all the elements to give it statehood," a position that makes the U.S. an outlier in the international community.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield: "I do not believe the Palestinians as they exist right now have all of the elements to give it statehood."
(In April, the US vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would’ve made Palestine a full member of the UN) pic.twitter.com/vvsruoo886
— Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) September 12, 2024
Atrocities continued to mount across the Gaza Strip this week as the U.S.—Israel's leading arms supplier—doubled down on its rejection of efforts to hold Israeli leaders accountable.
Citing medical sources in the Palestinian enclave, Al Jazeerareported Friday that "at least 16 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since the early hours of this morning."
"This number includes five members of the same family who, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense, were killed in an attack on al-Mawasi in south Gaza this morning," the outlet added. "It said two children were among those killed."
Keep ReadingShow Less
'Glimmer of Hope' as UN Security Council Approves Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution
"We voted for this text to give diplomacy a chance," said Algeria's U.N. ambassador. "It is time to halt the killing."
Jun 10, 2024
In a move that boosts the three-phase plan announced by President Joe Biden late last month, the United Nations Security Council on Monday voted 14-0—with permanent member Russia abstaining—in favor of a U.S.-sponsored resolution for a cease-fire in Gaza.
Russia chose not to exercise its power to veto the resolution, which urges Israel and Hamas to "fully implement its terms without delay and without condition."
Responding to the vote, Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement that "although the Biden administration should have allowed the U.N. Security Council to pass a permanent cease-fire resolution many months and many slaughtered Palestinians ago, we welcome today's development as a positive and long overdue step toward ending the genocide."
"The Biden administration must now use American leverage to force [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to agree to a permanent cease-fire so that the massacres of Palestinian civilians can end, all hostages and political prisoners can safely go free, international tribunals can begin holding those responsible for war crimes accountable, and the world can finally begin pursuing a credible end to the illegal occupation of Palestine that has fomented decades of injustice and oppression."
As U.N. Newsexplained:
Phase one includes an "immediate, full, and complete cease-fire with the release of hostages including women, the elderly and the wounded, the return of the remains of some hostages who have been killed, and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners."
It calls for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from "populated areas" of Gaza, the return of Palestinians to their homes and neighborhoods throughout the enclave, including in the north, as well as the safe and effective distribution of humanitarian assistance at scale.
Phase two would see a permanent end to hostilities "in exchange for the release of all other hostages still in Gaza, and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza."
In phase three, "a major multi-year reconstruction plan for Gaza" would begin and the remains of any deceased hostages still in the strip would be returned to Israel."
The council also underlined the proposal's provision that if negotiations take longer than six weeks for phase one, the cease-fire will continue as long as negotiations continue.
"The only way to end this cycle of violence and build a durable peace is through a political settlement," U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield—who vetoed several previous Security Council cease-fire resolutions— said following Monday's vote.
The Biden administration has provided Israel with billions of dollars in military aid, arms and ammunition sales, and diplomatic cover.
In a statement, Hamas—which led the October 7 attack on Israel that left more than 1,100 people dead and over 240 others taken hostage—welcomed the resolution's passage and affirmed its willingness "to enter into indirect negotiations on the implementation of these principles."
However, Reut Shapir Ben-Naftaly, Israel's representative at the U.N., said her country's objectives in the war have not changed and vowed to keep fighting "until all of the hostages are returned and Hamas' military capabilities are dismantled."
"Israel will not engage in meaningless and endless negotiations which can be exploited by Hamas as a means to stall for time," she added.
According to Palestinian and international agencies, at least 37,124 Palestinians—mostly women and children—have been killed by Israeli forces during the 248-day Gaza onslaught, which is the subject of an International Criminal Court genocide case brought by South Africa and supported by more than 30 nations and regional blocs. Nearly 85,000 Palestinians have also been injured. At least 11,000 other Palestinians are missing and believed buried beneath the rubble of hundreds of thousands of bombed-out buildings.
International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan is seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders for alleged crimes including extermination.
Algerian Ambassador Amar Bendjama said after Monday's vote that "as a free and dignified people, the Palestinians will never accept living under occupation. They will never abdicate their fight for liberation."
"This text is not perfect, but it offers a glimmer of hope to the Palestinians as the alternative is continued killing and suffering," he added. "We voted for this text to give diplomacy a chance. It is time to halt the killing."
The Security Council resolution's passage follows last month's vote by the U.N. General Assembly to recognize Palestinian statehood—a move supported by 143 members of the World Body but vehemently opposed by Israel and the U.S. Only nine nations voted against recognizing Palestine as an independent state.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular