After
Palestine
Arria Meeting,
ICP Asks of
Area C &
ICC, Out from
Minders Eye
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, May 6
-- For
the UN
Security
Council's
Palestine
"Arria
formula"
meeting on May
6, a media
stakeout was
set up in
front of the
ECOSOC
Chamber. But
to reach it,
Inner City
Press was
required to
have a minder,
and the
surveillance
remained
through the
meeting, in
today's UN's
Kafka-esque
anti-Press
circus. Inner
City Press
nevertheless
reported from
there, below,
and from the
after six pm
press
conference
that followed.
There,
Inner City
Press asked
the State of
Palestine's
Riyad Mansour
about the
International
Criminal
Court, and
about "Area C"
and what
percentage of
permit
applications
there are
denied. Periscope
video here.
Mansour
said Palestine
still wants a
referral of Israel
to the
International
Criminal
Court; he said
he has many
statistics on
Area C to
share.
At the
earlier stakeout,
once other
correspondents
left, Inner
City Press was
specifically
told it had to
remain in a
small area in
front of
ECOSOC. But
even from
there, Inner
City Press
first hear
that the US
has sent "only
the political
coordinator
Chris" and
that the UK
"went the same
route." [But
see below.]
Another
diplomat,
arriving past
4 pm, said
they were
coming from
the US Mission
that that
"Samantha
[Power] and
Michele
[Sison] are
there."
Another said,
"What a huge
diss."
Leaving
the Arria
meeting at 4
were Egypt's
Permanent
Representative,
Security
Council
President for
May, along
with Syria's
Bashar
Ja'afari, just
bak from
Geneva.
Inside the
Arria formula
meeting,
delegates
donned virtual
reality
glasses and
heard legal
arguments.
At 5 pm, UK
Perm Rep
Matthew
Rycroft showed
up outside the
meeting.
Another Perm
Rep
emphasized,
the US sent
only the
Political
Coordinator.
When Rycroft
left, the
restrictions
on Inner City
Press made it
impossible to
ask him
anything.
It emerged
that at the
same time at
the Palestine
Arria formula
meeting, the
US Mission
invited Perm
Reps and their
deputies to
hear about
ISIL from
Brent McGurk.
Back on April
27 when the
State of
Palestine's
Riyad Mansour
called a press
conference on
April 27, it
was to
in-person
announce
another
meeting, in
the so-called
Arria formula
on the topic
of protection,
on May 6 at 3
pm.
Inner
City Press
asked Mansour
if it is true
that France
asked him and
President
Abbas not to
try to proceed
with their
settlements
draft
resolution,
pending the
meeting France
plans for May
30. “Ask the
French,”
Mansour said,
insisting that
Palestine
intends to go
forward. Inner
City Press
previously
published the
Operative
Paragraphs,
below.
Mansour said
the May 6
meeting will
be open, but
when Inner
City Press
asked it
emerged that
it will NOT be
in the UN
webcast
viewable
around the
world. So what
does open
mean?
(On
April 26, an
Arria meeting
on Western
Sahara was
made available
on “EZTV” to
the UN's
favored
scribes with
offices that
UN
accreditation
chief Cristina
Gallach has
not, like
Inner City
Press',
evicted, but
not to other
journalists.
UN Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric at
noon told
Inner City
Press that
EZTV is
available on
the computer
terminals in
the UN's
basement: that
is false.)
Back on April
18 when
Israel's
Ambassador to
the UN Danny
Danon came to
the UN
Security
Council
stakeout,
Inner City
press asked
him for
Israel's view
of the UNSC
draft
resolution on
settlements. Video here.
Danon
replied, We
haven't seen a
draft, but
direct
negotiations
are the only
way.
To move
the ball
forward, Inner
City Press is
publishing the
Operative
Paragraphs of
the draft
settlements
resolution:
"The Security
Council....
1. Reaffirms
that the
Israeli
settlements
established in
the
Palestinian
territory
occupied since
1967,
including East
Jerusalem, are
illegal and
constitute a
major obstacle
to the
achievement of
the two-State
solution and a
just, lasting
and
comprehensive
peace;
2. Reiterates
its demand
that Israel,
the occupying
power,
immediately
and completely
cease all
settlement
activity in
the Occupied
Palestinian
Territory,
including East
Jerusalem, and
that it
respect all of
its
obligations in
this regard;
3. Calls for
the prevention
of all acts of
terror,
violence,
harassment,
destruction
and
provocation by
Israeli
settlers,
especially
against
Palestinian
civilians and
their
properties,
and calls for
accountability
for the
perpetration
of such
illegal
actions;
4. Calls upon
both parties
to act upon
the basis of
international
law, including
international
humanitarian
law, and their
previous
agreements and
obligations,
and to observe
calm and
restraint and
refrain from
provocative
actions,
incitement and
inflammatory
rhetoric, with
the aim, inter
alia, of
de-escalating
the situation
on the ground,
rebuilding
trust and
confidence,
demonstrating
through
policies and
actions a
genuine
commitment to
the two-State
solution, and
creating the
conditions
necessary for
promoting
peace;
5. Calls upon
all parties to
continue, in
the interest
of the
promotion of
peace and
security, to
exert
collective
efforts to
launch
credible
negotiations
on all final
status issues
in the Middle
East peace
process,
according to
its agreed
terms of
reference and
within the
time frame
specified by
the Quartet in
its statement
of 21
September
2010;
6. Urges in
this regard
the
intensification
and
acceleration
of
international
and regional
diplomatic
efforts and
support aimed
at achieving,
without delay,
an end to the
Israeli
occupation
that began in
1967 and a
comprehensive,
just and
lasting peace
in the Middle
East and
underscores in
this regard
the importance
of the Arab
Peace
initiative;
7. Confirms
its
determination
to support the
parties
throughout the
negotiations
and in the
implementation
of an
agreement;
8. Decides to
remain seized
of the
matter."
Back on
January 25
when Danon
came to the
stakeout,
Inner City
Press asked if
he would be
using a prop
-- a tripod or
easel like on
October 23 --
for his press
encounter.
There will be
a surprise,
Inner City
Press was
told.
As
Danon gave his
opening
statement,
correspondents
at the
stakeout asked
to hold a
prop, and some
did. As Danon
began to say
how “hate
toys” make
Palestinian
children hate
Israelis, he
referred to
two dolls
being held up
at the
stakeout as
props, video
here --
one, it turned
out, by the UN
correspondent
of the Reuters
wire service,
Michelle
Nichols. (See
also here.)
What
are Reuters'
policies in
this regard?
Inner City
Press and the
Free
UN Coalition
for Access
have in the
past asked
Reuters
executives, in
writing, to
state their
policies --
without
receiving the
requested
information,
rather only a
threat to sue
revealed by
Inner City
Press' Freedom
of Information
Act request to
US-government
Voice of
America, here.
Will Reuters'
policies on this
be made known?
On this
theme of
transparency,
Inner City
Press asked
Danon if he
and the
Israeli
government
think that a
letter
UNESCO's Irina
Bokova has
reportedly
sent to Iran
should be made
public. We'll
have more on
this.
Back on
October 16,
2015 before
the emergency
Palestine
meeting of the
UN Security
Council began
on October 16,
Danon came to
address the
press at the
stakeout, with
a tripod easel
like his
predecessor
Ron Prosor.
Inner City
Press
broadcast the
easel via
Periscope, and
asked Danon
about what's
said in the
Security
Council about
an expanded
Quartet
helping the
situation.
Danon replied
that the
solution is
direct
negotiations,
with no
preconditions.
Before
Inner City
Press'
question,
another
reporter posed
his, complete
with
counter-prop,
a photo on an
i-Pad. (Inner
City Press
broadcast this
too on
Periscope.)
The Israeli
Mission,
unlike some
others, didn't
try to insist
that the
question had
to go to the
journalist
they'd chosen:
the Free UN
Coalition for
Access favors
this allowing
of some
openness in
stakeout,
unlike the
censoring
control
asserted by,
for example,
UN
Peacekeeping
boss Herve
Ladsous and
some missions.
Danon, it
emerges, did
not speak
inside the
Security
Council; he
has yet to
hand his
credentials to
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon (who
is, once
again,
traveling,
this time in
Italy); he
said he will
do so on
Wednesday of
next week.
Outside
the Security
Council at the
stakeout Danon
said, “Whoever
avoids direct
negotiations
is looking for
an escape
hatch, and
Abbas’s
favorite kind
of escape, is
to spread
slanderous
lies about the
situation on
the Temple
Mount,
especially
about the
status quo.
However, only
2 weeks ago
Prime Minister
Netanyahu
stood here at
the UN and
repeated his
commitment
once again to
maintaining
the status
quo. Let me
make it clear.
Israel will
not agree to
any
international
presence on
the Temple
Mount. Any
such
intervention
would violate
the decades
long status
quo.”
After the
speeches in
the Council
Chamber, Inner
City Press
asked
Palestine's
Permanent
Observer Riyad
Mansour about
an
international
protection
presence. He
replied that
back in 1994
in UNSC
Resolution
904, some 37
Scandinavian
observers were
deployed and
remain in
Hebron, so why
not now? Why
not indeed.
Jordan's Dina
Kawar seemed
to say that
such an
international
force is not
envisioned at
this point.
Oman's
representative,
as head of the
Arab Group,
said work
would
continue. One
wanted to ask
her also about
Oman's work on
the conflict
in Yemen, but
it was not the
time.
Using
the easel that
he brought,
Danon said,
“On Monday,
a
Palestinian
boy attacked
an Israeli boy
who was riding
his bike,
stabbing him
no less than
15 times. Let
me repeat: 15
times! The
victim is
still
hospitalized
in critical
condition. Ask
yourselves,
why would a
13-year-old
boy decide to
go on a
stabbing spree
and try to
take another
boy’s life?
The answer is
that such acts
of terror do
not occur in a
vacuum. When a
Palestinian
child turns on
a TV, he
doesn’t see
Barney or
Donald Duck,
he sees
murderers
portrayed as
heroes. When
he opens a
textbook, he
doesn’t learn
about math and
science, he’s
being taught
to hate.”
Then
Danon unveiled
a picture or
cartoon,
knives at a
body, widely
photographed.
“This
picture you
see here is an
example of the
kind of
messages that
Palestinian
children are
being exposed
to day in and
day out. The
picture gives
children
elaborate
instructions
on how to stab
a Jew. We talk
about a lot
about
incitement-
here you see
what
Palestinian
incitement
looks like.
This picture
is what is
being taught
in middle
schools!
Instead of
educating
about peace
and tolerance,
the
Palestinian
leadership is
brainwashing
children with
incitement and
hate,” Danon
continued.
The UN
itself
denounced
social media,
and got asked
about its own,
or UNRWA
staff's, use
of social
media; UN
deputy
spokesperson
Farhan Haq
said the UN
reviews even
its staff's
retweets.
Really? We'll
have more on
this. Follow @innercitypressFollow @FUNCA_info
, 
