Senator Norm Coleman sits on the advisory board of The Israel Project (TIP). TIP is a prominent Israel advocacy group in Washington.
Man, these Israel Firsters are really starting to bug the hell out of me. Rather than deal with the dirt revealed by the light - they want to turn the light off - typical when it comes to Israel. Notice that no one suggests that Israel should not be on the list. This implies their recognition of Israel's major human rights violations. Yet, their only problem is, is that other state-sponsors of brutality and terrorism aren't on the list. It is interesting that they, being staunch supporters of Israel, would suggest that Israel be listed among countries such as North Korea, Burma, and Zimbabwe. Again, this implies their recognition of Israel's state-sponsored terror.
By Haaretz - July 26, 2007
A United States congressional delegate to the United Nations is pushing for the United States to cut off funding for the UN Human Rights Council, saying the watchdog group's focus on Israel and failure to investigate other countries made it a disaster.
Senator Norm Coleman, a Republican from Minnesota, said Wednesday the council has essentially one issue on its agenda - Israel. "You've got countries like North Korea, Burma, Zimbabwe where you have state-sponsored brutality, and what we have is deafening silence," he said.
A U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee panel will take up the Human Rights Council's performance at a hearing Thursday. The committee last month approved legislation Coleman proposed to end U.S. funding of the council. The House of Representatives last month approved similar legislation by Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican from Florida.
Coleman, who along with Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, represents Congress in the U.S. delegation to the UN, is a longtime critic of the UN. Boxer also supported the funding cut off when the Foreign Relations Committee approved the bill.
The council, based in Geneva, was created in March 2006 to replace the widely discredited Human Rights Commission. Last month, the new body angered the United States by continuing its scrutiny of Israel while halting investigations into Cuba and Belarus.
Coleman conceded his bill was more about symbolism than pulling the plug on the council's operations. The U.S. share of the council budget is only around $3 million, and the bill would allow the president to ignore the funding cut if he deemed it was not in the national interest.
"It's not a lot of money," he said. "This is a statement about the concerns we have about the Human Rights Council."
The State Department declined to comment on Coleman's push to cut off U.S. financial support for the council.
But Assistant Secretary of State Kristen Silverberg called the council's first year a grave disappointment. Member states abandoned their responsibility to defend suffering people in countries such as Sudan, Burma, Zimbabwe, and Cuba and instead devoted their energies to attacking Israel.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon came under attack on Wednesday for remarks that Islamic countries in the council had ignored abuses around the world and targeted Israel instead.
Ban angered the 57-member Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) when he said in June that the council should look at all situations of human rights violations.
Pakistan, serving as OIC's chairman, told the 49-nation council at a resumed meeting on Wednesday in Geneva that Islamic countries should "streamline" their relationships with Ban.
Man, these Israel Firsters are really starting to bug the hell out of me. Rather than deal with the dirt revealed by the light - they want to turn the light off - typical when it comes to Israel. Notice that no one suggests that Israel should not be on the list. This implies their recognition of Israel's major human rights violations. Yet, their only problem is, is that other state-sponsors of brutality and terrorism aren't on the list. It is interesting that they, being staunch supporters of Israel, would suggest that Israel be listed among countries such as North Korea, Burma, and Zimbabwe. Again, this implies their recognition of Israel's state-sponsored terror.
By Haaretz - July 26, 2007
A United States congressional delegate to the United Nations is pushing for the United States to cut off funding for the UN Human Rights Council, saying the watchdog group's focus on Israel and failure to investigate other countries made it a disaster.
Senator Norm Coleman, a Republican from Minnesota, said Wednesday the council has essentially one issue on its agenda - Israel. "You've got countries like North Korea, Burma, Zimbabwe where you have state-sponsored brutality, and what we have is deafening silence," he said.
A U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee panel will take up the Human Rights Council's performance at a hearing Thursday. The committee last month approved legislation Coleman proposed to end U.S. funding of the council. The House of Representatives last month approved similar legislation by Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican from Florida.
Coleman, who along with Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, represents Congress in the U.S. delegation to the UN, is a longtime critic of the UN. Boxer also supported the funding cut off when the Foreign Relations Committee approved the bill.
The council, based in Geneva, was created in March 2006 to replace the widely discredited Human Rights Commission. Last month, the new body angered the United States by continuing its scrutiny of Israel while halting investigations into Cuba and Belarus.
Coleman conceded his bill was more about symbolism than pulling the plug on the council's operations. The U.S. share of the council budget is only around $3 million, and the bill would allow the president to ignore the funding cut if he deemed it was not in the national interest.
"It's not a lot of money," he said. "This is a statement about the concerns we have about the Human Rights Council."
The State Department declined to comment on Coleman's push to cut off U.S. financial support for the council.
But Assistant Secretary of State Kristen Silverberg called the council's first year a grave disappointment. Member states abandoned their responsibility to defend suffering people in countries such as Sudan, Burma, Zimbabwe, and Cuba and instead devoted their energies to attacking Israel.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon came under attack on Wednesday for remarks that Islamic countries in the council had ignored abuses around the world and targeted Israel instead.
Ban angered the 57-member Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) when he said in June that the council should look at all situations of human rights violations.
Pakistan, serving as OIC's chairman, told the 49-nation council at a resumed meeting on Wednesday in Geneva that Islamic countries should "streamline" their relationships with Ban.
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