Obama v. Richard Falk on Israel and Occupied Palestine

Obama leaves no ambiguity where he stands. From public statements, campaign pledges, policy advisors, and war cabinet selections, his positions affirm:

-- one-sided pro-Israeli zealotry;

-- continued Palestinian oppression;

-- no end to the Iraq war and occupation;

-- possibly attacking Iran and/or allying with Israel to do it;

-- pursuing an imperial agenda; targeting Pakistan, Russia and other countries;

-- expanding the size of the military; increasing expenditures for it; and-- providing Israel annually with billions of dollars; the latest weapons and technology; the same zero interest rate loans Wall Street gets; liberal debt forgiveness; virtually anything Israel requests on the pretext of security, to wage aggressive war, or expand its illegal settlements; and

-- acquiescing and remaining silent after Israel insulted a high UN official by harassing and detaining him, then expelling him from the country.

Last March, Richard Falk replaced John Dugard as the UN Human Rights Council's (UNHRC) Special Rapporteur on Occupied Palestine. UNHRC is mandated:

-- to promote and protect human rights globally;

-- detect and speak out objectively against violations and violators;

-- "provide a forum for identifying, highlighting and developing responses to today's human rights challenges,

-- act as the principal focal point of human rights research, education, public information, and advocacy activities in the United Nations system," and

-- respect the rights of everyone irrespective of nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, language, age, or religion "as stipulated in the United Nations Charter.

"Navanethem Pillay became Human Rights High Commissioner last July. Richard Falk has regional responsibility for Occupied Palestine. On December 14, he arrived at Ben Gurion airport, Tel Aviv to perform his assigned duties. He led a three-person mission that intended to visit the West Bank and Gaza, assess conditions on the ground, then report on Israel's compliance with human rights standards and international humanitarian law.

Israel was informed of his trip, his itinerary, individuals he planned to meet with, and issued visas for himself, a staff security person, and an assistant. Falk had no reason to expect interference, and as he put it: "I would not have made the long journey from California, where I live, had I not been reasonably optimistic about my chances of getting in." Nonetheless, he was denied entry and harassed as follows:

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