(Jerusalem Post) Anne Bayefsky - On March 19, the UN Human Rights Council and its UN staff in Geneva advertised and facilitated an event featuring a representative of the terrorist organization Hamas. Facing an immediate outcry, a massive misinformation campaign is now underway to protect the already discredited UN body. But there is no avoiding the facts: the UN handed a UN entrance pass and a UN microphone, in a UN room, to Hamas' Ismail al-Ashqar. The Council published a formal UN "Bulletin" containing the following message. Anyone wanting to catch a lecture by a Hamas human rights authority should head to Meeting Room XXVII in the UN's Palais des Nations from 10 to 12 Monday morning. Director of the UN Information Service in Geneva Corinne Momal-Vanian told AP that the meeting was "on the sides of the Human Rights Council session" and any UN-accredited group "can organize side events and invite speakers of its choice." But the application to hold the meeting in the first place must have been vetted and approved by UN staff.
2012-03-21 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive