Others' crimes
It is an established fact that Egyptian border guards have a shoot to kill policy against African migrants who try to cross the border between Israel and Egypt. So far it is estimated that 60 have been killed. This policy is illegal under international law, apart from the immorality of killing unarmed civilians. There is little sympathy for these Africans in Egypt because most of them are Muslims and they are trying to escape to Israel, where they know they will be humanely treated. What their fate is in Egypt, imprisonment, torture or death is unknown.
The UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay finally today harshly criticized Egypt after all these killings. She said that she knows of no other border where unarmed civilians are shot so callously. The victims, as well as Sudanese fleeing the war in Darfur, includes Ethiopians, Eritreans and Somalis. Israel is now under great pressure, since this little country can hardly take care of the thousands of such refugees, currently there are estimated to be 30,000 Africans in Israel, and there are organizations that care for them and legal organizations that seek to protect their human rights. Such a thing would be unthinkable in the Muslim countries. So much for Israel being an "apartheid" State.
The Israeli Government has tried to develop policies to deal with this flow of migrants. They have decided to erect a border fence along the Egyptian border to prevent open access. They have decided to expel economic migrants, from countries where there is no persecution or conflict, and they have decided to expel migrants who have children here, since this is illegal and Israel is unable to accept children and to give them medical care and education. It is often a way for (female) migrants to try to obtain immigrant status in a country.
It should be noted that there are also some 30,000 Philippinos in Israel, one sees them all over the place since they are favored for looking after old people. They have a great name for being caring and compassionate. They also learn Hebrew, and it is amazing to hear them talking Hebrew to their charges. They are usually here under contract, but many continue to live here illegally after their contracts are up. Groups of them buy apartments in Tel Aviv and some marry Israelis and become Israeli citizens. They apparently prefer to live here than in the Muslim States where they are often treated badly as "infidels."
Operation Moshtarak in the Afghan province of Helmand pits 15,000 US and British forces with Afghan Army cooperation against Taliban forces. According to conservative estimates 36 civilians have been killed during the Operation so far. 12 were killed in the first day of the war when an errant missile hit a house, and 22 were killed when a minibus was destroyed. However, there have been no international demonstrations, no calls to declare British and US generals war criminals, no UN human rights meetings to require a Report on the war and no general condemnation of the Allies. This is of course because there is a double standard applied to Israel compared to all other countries. In fact Israel was condemned 15 times in 2 years by the UN Human Rights Council while no other country was condemned more than once.
But, it is likely that if the Goldstone Report on Israeli Operation Cast lead in Gaza ever reaches the UN Security Council (the GA has no enforcement powers) it will be vetoed by the Western allies because it would set a precedent for Muslim countries who have an automatic majority to likewise categorize them as war criminals for the civilian casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, and so they cannot take that risk.
Note: After my mailing went out yesterday on the King's Garden development plan for Silwan in Jerusalem, Mayor Nir Barkat was asked by PM Netanyahu to delay his press conference to announce the plan to avoid further exacerbating the tension in East Jerusalem and Barkat agreed. So the matter is now in abeyance.
The UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay finally today harshly criticized Egypt after all these killings. She said that she knows of no other border where unarmed civilians are shot so callously. The victims, as well as Sudanese fleeing the war in Darfur, includes Ethiopians, Eritreans and Somalis. Israel is now under great pressure, since this little country can hardly take care of the thousands of such refugees, currently there are estimated to be 30,000 Africans in Israel, and there are organizations that care for them and legal organizations that seek to protect their human rights. Such a thing would be unthinkable in the Muslim countries. So much for Israel being an "apartheid" State.
The Israeli Government has tried to develop policies to deal with this flow of migrants. They have decided to erect a border fence along the Egyptian border to prevent open access. They have decided to expel economic migrants, from countries where there is no persecution or conflict, and they have decided to expel migrants who have children here, since this is illegal and Israel is unable to accept children and to give them medical care and education. It is often a way for (female) migrants to try to obtain immigrant status in a country.
It should be noted that there are also some 30,000 Philippinos in Israel, one sees them all over the place since they are favored for looking after old people. They have a great name for being caring and compassionate. They also learn Hebrew, and it is amazing to hear them talking Hebrew to their charges. They are usually here under contract, but many continue to live here illegally after their contracts are up. Groups of them buy apartments in Tel Aviv and some marry Israelis and become Israeli citizens. They apparently prefer to live here than in the Muslim States where they are often treated badly as "infidels."
Operation Moshtarak in the Afghan province of Helmand pits 15,000 US and British forces with Afghan Army cooperation against Taliban forces. According to conservative estimates 36 civilians have been killed during the Operation so far. 12 were killed in the first day of the war when an errant missile hit a house, and 22 were killed when a minibus was destroyed. However, there have been no international demonstrations, no calls to declare British and US generals war criminals, no UN human rights meetings to require a Report on the war and no general condemnation of the Allies. This is of course because there is a double standard applied to Israel compared to all other countries. In fact Israel was condemned 15 times in 2 years by the UN Human Rights Council while no other country was condemned more than once.
But, it is likely that if the Goldstone Report on Israeli Operation Cast lead in Gaza ever reaches the UN Security Council (the GA has no enforcement powers) it will be vetoed by the Western allies because it would set a precedent for Muslim countries who have an automatic majority to likewise categorize them as war criminals for the civilian casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, and so they cannot take that risk.
Note: After my mailing went out yesterday on the King's Garden development plan for Silwan in Jerusalem, Mayor Nir Barkat was asked by PM Netanyahu to delay his press conference to announce the plan to avoid further exacerbating the tension in East Jerusalem and Barkat agreed. So the matter is now in abeyance.
posted by Jack Cohen at 5:53 AM
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