[Washington Institute for Near East Policy] Magnus Norell - In March, the UN Human Rights Council's (UNHRC) special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories, Richard Falk, published a report on Israel's Gaza operation that makes far-reaching allegations against Israel and the potential illegality of its actions. These assertions, however, rather than having a factual or legal basis, are essentially political in nature. Now that the U.S. is to be a member of the council, it should ensure that future reports are more balanced and credible. By presenting a case that completely disregards the actions of one of the warring sides - Hamas - and its ongoing rocket attacks, the report's findings could very well undermine future investigations by the UN or other international bodies. The writer, a Fulbright scholar, is a visiting fellow at The Washington Institute.
2009-04-07 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive