UN majority agrees Palestinians must live in freedom, dignity on their own land with sovereignty, self-determination rights

Dr. Hanan Ashrawi 

Urgency of the moment demands full engagement in “ending the cruel and illegal occupation”

Editing by Carolyn Bennett

The question the international community should ask, Hanan Ashrawi wrote this week at the Guardian, “is not who wants negotiations, but who wants solutions.

The answer is clear – one side wants to negotiate a permanent solution,  the other side wants permanent negotiations.

Who is Hanan Ashrawi?

Dr. Hanan Ashrawi is a Palestinian politician and peace negotiator “known for straight-talking diplomacy.” She is one of the most prominent speakers for the Palestinian people.

Born in 1946 in Ramallah (a town in the West Bank, administered as part of the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948) into a family that included parents, Daoud Mikhail, a founding member of the Palestine Liberation Organization; a devout Christian mother of Lebanese descent; and relatives of Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Baptist and Muslim affiliation, Hanan Ashrawi is among few who have as visibly represented the Palestinian people.

Palestinian legislator, activist, and scholar Hanan Daoud Khalil Ashrawi was an important leader during the First Intifada. She has served as the official representative for the Palestinian Delegation to the Middle East peace process, since 1996 elected repeatedly to the Palestinian Legislative Council, and until 1998 minister of higher education for the Palestinian Authority. Dr. Ashrawi is a member of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s Third Way Party and the first woman elected to the Palestinian National Council.

She serves on the Advisory Board of several international and local organizations including the World Bank Middle East and North Africa (MENA), United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) and the International Human Rights Council.

Dr. Ashrawi took academic credentials in Medieval and Comparative Literature (doctorate at the University of Virginia-United States) and in English (undergraduate and graduate degrees at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon). 

A

shrawi continued her Guardian article the day before the General Assembly voted overwhelmingly for upgrading Palestinian status in the United Nations.

“We are farther today from having a serious peace partner than at any time since we began this [peace] ‘process,’” she said. 

[Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, at best, views negotiations in the context of photo opportunities and handshakes to improve his international image and keep public opinion quiet. At worst, he exploits the ‘process’ to continue settlement expansion, the annexation of Jerusalem, and the ‘enjoyment’ of an American-led legal cover to enable him to act with impunity. 

“This, in fact, represents a severe provocation to our people who have been on the receiving end of such an enormous injustice without responding violently or illegally. While we have met our commitments, Israel continues to renege on its obligations and to build on the 22 percent of the remaining Palestinian land designated for the free sovereign state of Palestine.

“… Rather than being perceived as a substitute for negotiations, our efforts are consistent with the international community’s objective of achieving a peaceful solution whereby Palestine and Israel can live side by side in peace and security.

“… [Countries choosing] not to vote with Palestine will find themselves on the wrong side of history ─ let alone morality, justice and international law.

“Israel is deliberately destroying the two-state solution, as well as the chances for peace and security in the region and beyond.

“It is high time that [wavering] countries recognize the urgency of the moment and become fully engaged in ─

ending the cruel and illegal occupation and 

enabling the Palestinians to exercise their right to self-determination and sovereignty and to live in freedom and dignity on their own land. 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday to the 193-member UN General Assembly ─

The moment has arrived for the world to say clearly: enough of aggression, settlements and occupation.

Issue a birth certificate of the reality of the State of Palestine.

The window of opportunity is narrowing and time is quickly running out.

T

he United Nations General Assembly then voted overwhelmingly to accord Palestine ‘Non-Member Observer State’ status.

Vote on Status of Palestine at United Nations: The draft resolution on the Status of Palestine at the United Nations (document A/67/L.28) was adopted by a recorded vote of 138 in favor to 9 against, with 41 abstentions, as follows:

YES votes

Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

NO votes

Canada, Czech Republic, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Palau, Panama, United States

ABSTENTIONS (tantamount to no)

Albania, Andorra, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Colombia, Croatia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Estonia, Fiji, Germany, Guatemala, Haiti, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malawi, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Poland, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Rwanda, Samoa, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Tonga, United Kingdom, Vanuatu.

ABSENTEES (carelessly tantamount to no)

Equatorial Guinea, Kiribati, Liberia, Madagascar, Ukraine.

Sources and notes

This episode of One on One can be seen from Saturday, September 26, at the following times GMT: Saturday: 0130, 1630; Sunday: 0430; Monday: 0300, 1230.

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/oneonone/2009/09/200992282911940941.html

Peace prize for Ashrawi─ Palestinian MP and human rights activist Hanan Ashrawi has won the prestigious Sydney Peace Prize. Last Modified: 08 Aug 2003 17:49 GMT

http://www.worldtrek.org/odyssey/mideast/ashrawi/ashrawibio.html

Wikipedia notes, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanan_Ashrawi

Ramallah

Ramallah is a town in the West Bank, adjacent to the town of Al-Bīrah (east) and north of Jerusalem. Administered as part of the British mandate of Palestine (1920–48).

Ramallah was part of the West Bank territory taken by Arab forces in the first of the Arab-Israeli wars (1948–49) and subsequently annexed by Jordan. After the Six-Day War of 1967, Ramallah was under Israeli control as part of the occupied West Bank territory until coming under the administration of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the wake of the 1993 Oslo Accords.

It later became the centre of PA administration in the West Bank. As an ancient settlement, Ramallah has buildings incorporating masonry from the time of Herod the Great (reigned 37–4 BCE), but no complete structure antedates the Crusades of the 11th century. Britannica note

First Intifada

In December 1987, Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip killed an Arab youth engaged in a protest. Widespread unrest broke out in the Israeli-occupied territories, leading to 21 deaths in two weeks.

This was the start of the intifada (‘shaking’), a wave of Palestinian protests and Israeli reprisals that lent new urgency to Middle East diplomacy.

Israeli military rule of the West Bank then hardened and the Fatah faction of the PLO from bases in Lebanon stepped up actions. Britannica note

General Assembly Votes Overwhelmingly to Accord Palestine ‘Non-Member Observer State’ Status in United Nations

Objective to ‘Breathe New Life’ into Peace Process, Says Palestinian President

Israel’s Delegate Counters, Without Direct Negotiations, Peace Remains ‘Out of Reach’

General Assembly GA/11317, November 29, 2012, Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York, Sixty-seventh General Assembly

General Assembly Plenary 44th & 45th Meetings (PM & Night), http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2012/ga11317.doc.htm

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Bennett's books are available in New York State independent bookstores: Lift Bridge Bookshop: www.liftbridgebooks.com [Brockport, NY]; Sundance Books: http://www.sundancebooks.com/main.html [Geneseo, NY]; Mood Makers Books: www.moodmakersbooks.com [City of Rochester, NY]; Dog Ears Bookstore and Literary Arts Center: www.enlightenthedog.org/ [Buffalo, NY]; Burlingham Books – ‘Your Local Chapter’: http://burlinghambooks.com/ [Perry, NY 14530]; The Bookworm: http://www.eabookworm.com/ [East Aurora, NY] • See also: World Pulse: Global Issues through the eyes of Women: http://www.worldpulse.com/ http://www.worldpulse.com/pulsewire http://www.facebook.com/#!/bennetts2ndstudy

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When officials of a great nation render its people as detainees to torture chambers to the wrong side of history

Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas's standing ovation at UNGA

United States’ shameful vote against Palestinians unsuccessful in deciding their triumph  
Editing by Carolyn Bennett

What happens between the Jordan River and the shores of the Mediterranean is central to security and well-being of humankind. [UN General Assembly President]

Resolution to Grant Palestine Non-member Observer State Status in the United Nations (New York), November 29, 2012

Celebration at UN

Thirty-nine nations voted yes.

Forty-one ducked

Albania, Andorra, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Colombia, Croatia, Dem. Rep. of Congo, Estonia, Fiji, Germany, Guatemala, Haiti, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malawi, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Poland, Korea, Moldova, Romania, Rwanda, Samoa, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Togo, Tonga, UK, Vanuatu

Nine voted regress

Shame

The United States, Israel, Panama, Palau, Canada, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Czech Republic, Micronesia

Wall of Shame

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon speaking before the UN General Assembly vote said, “I believe that Palestinians have the right to their own state. I believe that Israel has the right to peace and security [and] we must give new impetus to our collective efforts.”

Reason for hope, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said ─

“Your support will send a promising message to millions of Palestinians... that justice is possible, and that there is a reason to be hopeful. That the peoples of the world do not accept the occupation.”

Geopolitics
Middle East
Red Sea

President of the sixty-seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly Vuk Jeremić said, “Both [peoples] come from a land that has been almost continuously tormented by conflict for many centuries, with countless victims on all sides. The strife has not abated during the sixty-seven years of this Organization’s existence ─ despite the fact that it came into being ‘to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.’

“Notwithstanding the valiant efforts of some of the most courageous statesmen of the 20th century, a negotiated comprehensive settlement enabling Israel and Palestine to live side by side in peace and security has yet to materialize. And so we still witness the enmity, estrangement, and mistrust as parents continue to bury their children.

Gaza

In today’s globalizing, interconnected world, what happens between the river Jordan and the shores of the Mediterranean has become the key to the security and well-being of the entire mankind.

… History will judge this day to have been fraught with significance but whether it will come to be looked upon as a step in the right direction on the road to peace will depend on how we [conduct] ourselves in its wake. …

Middle East

… Allow me to extend an appeal … to my dear friends from Palestine and Israel

·         to work for peace;

·         to negotiate in good faith;

·         to succeed in reaching the historical settlement.

Sources and notes

http://www.un.org/en/ga/president/67/

“UN general assembly recognizes Palestinian state – live updates Live• UN approves ‘nonmember observer state’ plan ─ • Resolution approved 138-9 with U.S. and Canada against,”  (Matthew Weaver and Tom McCarthy, guardian.co.uk) Thursday November 29, 2012,

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2012/nov/29/egypt-crisis-morsi-constitution-live

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is greeted by a standing ovation before he speaks to the United Nations General Assembly before the body votes on a resolution to upgrade the status of the Palestinian Authority to a nonmember observer state November 29, 2012.(AFP Photo / Stan Honda), (38.5Mb) embed video

“The UN General Assembly has voted to upgrade Palestinians’ diplomatic status to a ‘non-member observer state,’ thus implicitly recognizing a Palestinian state. This comes despite strong opposition from the U.S. and Israel.” http://rt.com/news/un-palestinians-non-member-832/

“UN implicitly recognizes Palestinian statehood” November 29-30, 2012

http://rt.com/news/un-palestinians-non-member-832/

Mahmoud Abbas (Wikipedia note)

Mahmoud Abbas (Arabic: مَحْمُود عَبَّاس‎, Maḥmūd ʿAbbās; born March 26, 1935) was chosen on November 23, 2008, by the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Central Council to be the President of the State of Palestine, a position he had held unofficially since May 8, 2005.

President Abbas served as the first Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority from March to October 2003. He resigned this position citing ‘internal incitement’ against his government and lack of support from Israel and the United States.

Before becoming prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas led the PLO’s Negotiations Affairs Department. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Abbas

The Jordan River rises on the slopes of Mount Hermon on the Syrian-Lebanese border and flows southward through northern Israel to the Sea of Galilee and then divides Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank on the west from Jordan on the east before emptying into the Dead Sea at an elevation of about 1,312 feet (400 meters) below sea level.

With the lowest elevation in the world, the Jordan River is more than 223 miles (360 km) long but because its course meanders the actual distance between its source and the Dead Sea is less than 124 miles (200 km).

Geopolitics and waterways from No Land an Island No People Apart

Red Sea

The Red Sea separates the coasts of Egypt, The Sudan, and Eritrea (Africa) to the west from those of Saudi Arabia and Yemen (Asia) to the east; and with its connection to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal, the Red Sea is one of the most heavily traveled waterways in the world, carrying maritime traffic between Europe and Asia.

This narrow strip of water—maximum width 190 miles, greatest depth 9,974 feet (3,040 meters), area approximately 174,000 square miles (450,000 square km)—extends southeastward from Suez, Egypt, for about 1,200 miles (1,930 km) to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects with the Gulf of Aden and then with the Arabian Sea. Geologically, the Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba (Elat) are considered the northern extension of the same structure. Red Sea name derives from the color changes observed in its waters (Britannica rev.).

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Bennett's books are available in New York State independent bookstores: Lift Bridge Bookshop: www.liftbridgebooks.com [Brockport, NY]; Sundance Books: http://www.sundancebooks.com/main.html [Geneseo, NY]; Mood Makers Books: www.moodmakersbooks.com [City of Rochester, NY]; Dog Ears Bookstore and Literary Arts Center: www.enlightenthedog.org/ [Buffalo, NY]; Burlingham Books – ‘Your Local Chapter’: http://burlinghambooks.com/ [Perry, NY 14530]; The Bookworm: http://www.eabookworm.com/ [East Aurora, NY] • See also: World Pulse: Global Issues through the eyes of Women: http://www.worldpulse.com/ http://www.worldpulse.com/pulsewire http://www.facebook.com/#!/bennetts2ndstudy

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Plant 2,000 Olive Trees, Open UNGA fully to Palestinians

Beyond reach of law, Israeli armed forces, settlers commit continual assault on Palestinian farm families; Palestinians reach for UN status

Palestinian woman hugs
olive tree
uprooted by Israelis

Edited by Carolyn Bennett

  

U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation reports.

Israel’s military occupation enters year 45 and the work of the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is more vital than ever. Contributions to the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation help:

Produce and distribute educational resources to tens of thousands of people throughout the United States and support the community organizing work necessary to change U.S. policies.

West Bank village
Man picks olives

Continue support for boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaigns and build on recent successes in those campaigns.

Challenge U.S. military aid to Israel at every level of government ─ from city councils and school boards to Capitol Hill and the White House

Plant trees for Palestinian farming families.

The U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is the largest and most diverse coalition working to change U.S. policy toward Palestine/Israel to support human rights, international law, and equality.

Israeli Occupation repression:

Palestinian farmer

Increase in settler violence against Palestinian civilians since 2010:  39 percent

Increase in settler violence against Palestinian civilians since 2007: 315 percent

Palestinian trees vandalized (estimated number) by Israeli settlers in 2012: 7,500

Palestinian trees uprooted (estimated number) by Israel since 1967: 1.2 million

Palestinian families in the occupied territories who rely on farming for their livelihood:  80,000

Palestinian farmers’ applications for permits to access olive groves behind Israel’s apartheid wall DENIED: 42 percent

Gaza’s agricultural land rendered inaccessible because of Israel’s ‘buffer zone’:  30 percent

Suspects indicted out of 162 documented complaints of settler attacks against Palestinian trees: 1

Israeli settler burns
Palestinian olive trees

The U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation has partnered with the Palestinian fair trade association to plant olive trees for Palestinian farming families.  

Toward a goal of 2,000 olive trees this year, the Campaign needs help to fund the planting of an additional 1,804 trees for Palestinian farming families.

UN General Assembly
193 Member States

In today’s news, the China Daily reports

Palestinians' UN bid

Despite the U.S. opposition to the Palestinian bid for non-member observer status in the United Nations, President Abbas affirms, “There is nothing preventing us from getting the incomplete membership in the UN.”

The permanent observer of Palestine to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, said yesterday in a press conference ─ 

You give me an impression that you are ready for a historic event on the 29th of November.

Palestinian rights
Palestinian liberation

[The] historic event will take place when our president, President Mahmoud Abbas, with a large Palestinian delegation contribute to the efforts with all our friends and the General Assembly to legislate recognition of the State of Palestine at the United Nations and also change our status to a non-member observer state.

That will be a historic moment in the struggle of the Palestinian people, and a historic moment in the history of the United Nations.

The UN General Assembly on November 29, 1947, adopted Resolution 181, the China News article recalls, “which recognized the need to establish a Jewish state alongside an Arab state in the former British Mandate territory of Palestine.”

As soon as the Palestinian state’s membership is secured, President Abbas said, “The Palestinian side is ready to return to the negotiating table.” Before more time passes, he said, “This might be the last chance for making peace in the Middle East.”

Sources and notes

Contact information: officemanager@endtheoccupation.org or call 202-332-0994.

https://npo1.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=1004565

Education for Just Peace in the Middle East (registered to do business as the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, Tax-ID # 42-1636592).

http://www.endtheoccupation.org/section.php?id=300

The U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation conducts boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns and needs help to redouble its efforts in opposing unconditional military aid and diplomatic support for Israel.

“Palestine’s UN bid ‘historic moment’: envoy ─ UNITED NATIONS - Riyad Mansour, the permanent observer of Palestine to the United Nations, said yesterday that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will submit the Palestinian bid for a non-member state status to the UN General Assembly tomorrow as planned. This will be ‘a historic moment’ for both the Palestinians and the 193-member states body.” (Updated: 2012-11-28 07:45, Xinhua), http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2012-11/28/content_15964928.htm

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Bennett's books are available in New York State independent bookstores: Lift Bridge Bookshop: www.liftbridgebooks.com [Brockport, NY]; Sundance Books: http://www.sundancebooks.com/main.html [Geneseo, NY]; Mood Makers Books: www.moodmakersbooks.com [City of Rochester, NY]; Dog Ears Bookstore and Literary Arts Center: www.enlightenthedog.org/ [Buffalo, NY]; Burlingham Books – ‘Your Local Chapter’: http://burlinghambooks.com/ [Perry, NY 14530]; The Bookworm: http://www.eabookworm.com/ [East Aurora, NY] • See also: World Pulse: Global Issues through the eyes of Women: http://www.worldpulse.com/ http://www.worldpulse.com/pulsewire http://www.facebook.com/#!/bennetts2ndstudy
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Human Rights Watch reprimands Syria, fails to cite UNSC/U.S. cluster bomb use

Stop killing, Stop Cluster Bomb production, use, stockpiling by all nations -- no exceptions

Editing, comment by Carolyn Bennett

Cluster Munition Coalition reports

AFFECTED COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES

Affected by cluster munitions from use in armed conflict: 37 countries and territories [none are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council]

A

fghanistan, Albania, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Chad, Chechnya, Croatia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Falklands/Malvinas, Georgia, Grenada, Iraq, Israel, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Mauritania, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nagorno-Karabakh, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand Uganda, Vietnam, Western Sahara, Zambia, Yemen

USERS OF CLUSTER MUNITIONS

Used cluster munitions: 19 countries

[In red permanent members of the United Nations Security Council]

C

 olombia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Morocco, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Former Yugoslavia (Serbia), Sudan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

 

PRODUCERS OF CLUSTER MUNITIONS

Produced/still producing cluster munitions: 35 countries

[In red permanent members of the United Nations Security Council]

A

rgentina, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Chile, China, Croatia, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, North Korea, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

 

STOCKPILERS OF CLUSTER MUNITIONS

Stockpiles cluster munitions: 86 countries

[In red permanent members of the United Nations Security Council]

A

lgeria, Angola, Argentina, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Libya, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, North Korea, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Zimbabwe

H

uman Rights Watch reports today

“(Washington, DC) – Compelling evidence has emerged that an airstrike using cluster bombs on the town of Deir al-`Assafeer near Damascus killed at least 11 children and wounded others on November 25, 2012. The Syrian government should immediately cease its use of this highly dangerous weapon, which has been banned by most nations.”

“At least 16 governments have condemned Syria’s use of cluster munitions, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Qatar, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

 

I

n my view, it is dishonest and cowardly for either permanent members of the UN Security Council, who have failed to sign or become member states to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, or Human Rights Watch to cite or reprimand Syria for alleged bombing and as a non member to the CCM and fail to cite and reprimand in context the United States' leading model in using, making, stockpiling the munitions and failing to become signatory or member to the Convention.

This is why nonprofits, “rights” organizations, and the “international community” increasingly show themselves as and are judged lacking in credibility.   

Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) reports

C

onvention Status 

The Convention was adopted in Dublin by 107 states on May 30, 2008, and signed in Oslo on December 3 the same year. 

The Convention became binding international law when it entered into force on August 1, 2010.  

 By October 8, 2012, a total of 111 states have joined the Convention, as 77 States Parties and 34 Signatories.

77 States Parties (by region)	34 Signatories (by region)
Africa (22)	Africa (20)
Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Togo, Tunisia, Zambia	Angola, Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Gambia, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia, South Africa, Uganda and United Republic of Tanzania
Americas (16)	Americas (6)
Antigua and Barbuda, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay	Bolivia, Canada, Colombia, Haiti, Jamaica, Paraguay
Asia (3)	Asia (2)
Afghanistan, Japan, Lao PDR	Indonesia, Philippines
Europe (30)	Europe (3)
Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Holy See, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the FYR of Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom	Cyprus, Iceland, Liechtenstein
Middle East (1)	Middle East (1)
Lebanon	Iraq
Pacific (5)	Pacific (2)
Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa	Nauru, Palau

States adopting the Convention on Cluster Munitions in 2008

107 states adopted the Convention in Dublin on May 30, 2008:

AFRICA: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zambia

AMERICAS: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela

ASIA: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines and Timor-Leste

EUROPE: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia (FYR), Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom

MIDDLE EAST: Bahrain, Lebanon and Qatar

PACIFIC: Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Vanuatu

Sources and notes

Cluster Munition Coalition

http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/the-problem/countries/

Cluster bomb image caption: A screenshot from an unverified video posted by opposition activists purportedly showing cluster bombs in Deir al-Asafir

Human Rights Watch today

“Syria: Evidence Shows Cluster Bombs Killed Children ─ All Governments Should Press Damascus to Stop Using Cluster Munitions,”  November 27, 2012, http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/11/27/syria-evidence-shows-cluster-bombs-killed-children-0

Convention on Cluster Munitions – CCM

http://www.clusterconvention.org/ratifications-and-signatures/

THE OSLO PROCESS

In February 2007, 46 governments met in Oslo to endorse a call by Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre to conclude a new legally binding instrument in 2008.

The Convention prohibits the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions, and requires states to destroy existing stockpiles of the weapons, clear contaminated areas and assist survivors and affected communities.

Subsequent international Oslo Process meetings were held in Peru (May 2007), Austria (December 2007), and New Zealand (February 2008).

Some 107 countries negotiated and adopted the Convention on Cluster Munitions in May 2008 in Dublin, Ireland.

The convention was signed by 94 countries at the Signing Conference in Oslo in December 2008 and entered into force as binding international law on 1 August 2010, after it reached the threshold of 30 ratifications in February 2010, just 15 months after it opened for signature.

All countries can still accede to the convention at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/the-problem/

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Bennett's books are available in New York State independent bookstores: Lift Bridge Bookshop: www.liftbridgebooks.com [Brockport, NY]; Sundance Books: http://www.sundancebooks.com/main.html [Geneseo, NY]; Mood Makers Books: www.moodmakersbooks.com [City of Rochester, NY]; Dog Ears Bookstore and Literary Arts Center: www.enlightenthedog.org/ [Buffalo, NY]; Burlingham Books – ‘Your Local Chapter’: http://burlinghambooks.com/ [Perry, NY 14530]; The Bookworm: http://www.eabookworm.com/ [East Aurora, NY] • See also: World Pulse: Global Issues through the eyes of Women: http://www.worldpulse.com/ http://www.worldpulse.com/pulsewire http://www.facebook.com/#!/bennetts2ndstudy

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