Here's John Dugard, "special rapporteur" for the UN on human rights in the Palestinian territories, giving his entirely impartial and balanced view of the situation there:
Gaza is a prison and Israel seems to have thrown away the key
And here's his delicately delivered hint that Israel exercises some sort of special power which renders it exempt from condemnation...er, except, presumably, from the ones he delivers plus the innumerable resolutions of the organization which appointed him to produce his report:
In other countries this process might be described as ethnic cleansing but political correctness forbids such language where Israel is concerned
If Gaza is a prison, it must be one of the strangest in the world.
Here's Khaled Abu Toameh, the Jerusalem Post's amazingly brave Palestinian reporter, on the latest antics the supposed prisoners have been up to:
A prominent Palestinian journalist from the Gaza Strip was kidnapped on Monday from his radio station by a group of masked gunmen, who released him after several hours unharmed.
Eyewitnesses said at least 15 gunmen stormed the offices of the local Sawt Al-Hurriya (Voice of Freedom) radio station on the 13th floor of the Al-Shurouk Tower in the center of Gaza City and forced the journalist, Salim Abu Amr, to accompany them to an unknown destination.
Abu Amr, who is known to his listeners as Abu Basel, is the host of a popular talk show that is broadcast every morning in the Gaza Strip. Sources in Gaza City described him as a Fatah supporter and a staunch critic of Hamas.
"The gunmen threatened him with their rifles and led him away," said one eyewitness. They took him in a van that was waiting outside the building. They did not give any reason for the kidnapping."
No group claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. However, Fatah officials said they did not rule out the possibility that Hamas was behind the kidnapping, noting that Abu Amr had been critical of the Hamas-led government and had also allowed listeners to voice their criticism of the Islamic movement.
Palestinian Authority policemen rushed to the scene and erected checkpoints in Gaza City in an attempt to apprehend the kidnappers.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate strongly condemned the kidnapping of Abu Amr, saying it was the latest in a series of assaults on Palestinian journalists and media outlets in the Palestinian territories.
"We reiterate our support for our journalists in the face of this campaign of terror," the syndicate said in a statement. "We urge them to remain steadfast in the face of all assaults on the freedom of expression."
Last week another Palestinian journalist working for the Palestinian Authority's official news agency, Wafa, was severely beaten by masked gunmen who stormed his office in Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip and destroyed all the equipment and furniture.
Amr al-Fara, head of Wafa's bureau in Khan Yunis, was taken to hospital with moderate wounds.
"The attackers destroyed all the computers and laptops in the office," said a local reporter. "Before they left, they sprayed graffiti on the wall accusing the agency of not being objective."
Fatah officials accused Hamas of standing behind the attack, noting that Hamas leaders have been inciting against Fatah-affiliated media outlets over the past few months.
Two other Palestinian journalists were severely beaten last week during a demonstration in Gaza City against the Hamas-led government. On Sunday, masked gunmen in Nablus raided the offices of Al-Quds newspaper in the city and confiscated all the copies. The assailants did not give any reason for their action.
It's touching to see how these Palestinian "prisoners" are so exercised by the Palestinian Authority's news agency's lack of objectivity that they resort to trashing its computers and graffiti-spraying its wall.
You can see why John Dugard is also very impartially exercised about the current sanctions against the Hamas government:
Dugard also attacked the United States, the European Union and Canada for withdrawing funding for the Palestinian Authority in protest at the governing party Hamas's refusal to accept Israel's right to exist.
Hamas, a militant Islamic group that came to power after elections in January, is sworn to Israel's destruction.
"Israel violates international law as expounded by the Security Council and the International Court of Justice and goes unpunished. But the Palestinian people are punished for having democratically elected a regime unacceptable to Israel, the U.S. and the EU," Dugard said.
And those Hamas folk such ardent democrats, too.....
I'm glad you picked up on this. I saw it yesterday and was furious. Dugard is abusing his position as a UN official to promote his own BBC-ified personal opinions.
The terrible irony of all this nonsense about Gaza being a prison is the Kafaesque way Israel is held responsible for absolutely all ills suffered by the Palestinians, regardless of the actual circumstances. While Gaza was occupied, everyone screamed at Israel to get out. Israel is now completely out -- so now Gaza is a "prison" and it's once again guess-who's fault. Israel is even blamed for the fact that the international community has cut off much financial aid to the PA because Hamas is a terrorist organisation. Somehow this, too, is Israel's fault (another of Dugard's accusations).
Great post Judy, thanks. And happy new year!
Posted by: Paul | September 27, 2006 at 12:32 PM
I am ashamed to share citizenship with this odious twit. I'm even more ashamed to admit that when I was at law school in South Africa, I looked up to John Dugard as a defender of human rights. I didn't realise then that his definition of "human" excluded Jews.
Posted by: Stephen | September 29, 2006 at 10:24 AM
I am in the same position, Stephen, having not only regarded Dugard as my mentor at law school, but having marched alongside him in an illegal student protest march. I also met him in the Hague a couple of years back where he lectures, having decamped there in some dudgeon when the new SA government failed to recognise his contribution by giving him a commensurate post. The fond reunion was tinged with misgivings as I became aware from his account of his new role. It is very painful and inexplicable to me what has happened to him.
Posted by: ami | September 29, 2006 at 03:09 PM
Somehow the whiff of Nazism seems to emanate from John Dugard. Could it be that he`s been a closet fascist all these years ?
Posted by: Ian Ward | February 24, 2007 at 01:02 AM