Tennessee passes resolution condemning BDS movement
“On April 21, 2015, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam became the first elected state official in the nation to sign a landmark resolution to confront the anti-Semitic BDS movement in the U.S.” ( Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, PJTN). The BDS campaign began in 2005 by Palestinians. It promotes boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel, and it is gaining momentum. College campuses are especially seeing an enthusiasm for the BDS movement and it is producing a number of anti-Semitic campus decisions, altercations, and discrimination.
A handful of other states have either passed resolutions against the BDS movement or passed legislation against its discrimination. PJTN also notes that 31 U.S. states currently have grassroots campaigns underway to pursue official anti-BDS declarations from their governments (PJTN).
Please pray that more states will initiate legislation and resolutions against the anti-Israel BDS movement.
Israel responds to United Nations Human Rights Council inquiry report on Gaza war
On Monday last week, the United Nations released their report investigating human rights violations in last summer’s Israel-Gaza war. Though the report blames both sides for actions, according to the Times of Israel it “focused more on Israel’s role” ( Times of Israel). The report states, “the Commission was able to gather substantial information pointing to serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law by Israel and by Palestinian armed groups” ( UN Report A/HRC/29/CRP.4 from United Nations Human Rights website).
Israel’s Foreign Ministry claims bias in the investigation all the way from the institution that commissioned it to the appointment of the original chairman whom they described as “grossly biased” (Times of Israel). Chairman William Schabas resigned in February after Israel objected to his appointment as chairman when he had once done work for the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
“It is regrettable that the report fails to recognize the profound difference between Israel’s moral behavior during Operation Protective Edge and the terror organizations it confronted,” the Foreign Ministry said (Times of Israel).
“The report is biased,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “Israel is not perpetrating war crimes but rather protecting itself from an organization that carries out war crimes. We won’t sit back with our arms crossed as our citizens are attacked by thousands of missiles” (Times of Israel).
Please pray that the truth would become known, the world’s understanding of Israel would be accurate, and hostile Palestinian groups would not be minimized but called to account for their ongoing aggressive actions toward Israel.
Saudis and Russians said to have traded votes to get on UN Human Rights Council
WikiLeaks has published over 61,000 cables reportedly from the Saudi government. The Times of Israel notes that “though there is no immediate way to verify the authenticity of the documents…WikiLeaks has a long track record of hosting large-scale leaks of government material” ( Times of Israel). Some of these communications indicate that the Saudis and Russians traded votes and exchanged money to win each other seats on the UN Human Rights Council.
UN Watch’s website noted that these leaked cables indicate “what we knew all along: that despite the UNHRC’s official membership criteria…dictatorships strike backroom deals to elect each other onto the 47-nation body” (UN Watch). The article went on to state, in the words of former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, that dictatorships seek membership on the Council “not to strengthen human rights but to protect themselves against criticism or to criticize others” (UN Watch).
Please pray that any such unscrupulous bargaining would cease within the United Nations and that Israel would be granted fair and just consideration in the world community.
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