Palestine's
Mansour Visits
Rose Garden
Flagpole,
Tashlich
Ceremony
Proceeds
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 21,
updated -- The
Observer State
of Palestine's
Riyad Mansour
came to visit
the flagpole
in the UN Rose
Garden up
which his flag
will rise on
September 30,
and asked
Inner City
Press, What's
that?
On the lawn
beside the
Rose Garden
was a Tashlich
ceremony
organized by
the Israeli
mission to the
UN, beginning
with remarks
by outgoing
Israeli
Permanent
Representative
Ron Prosor.
Contrary to
what some in
the crowd on
the UN lawn
quickly
concluded,
Mansour was
not joining
the ceremony.
He wondered if
those who come
to the flag
raising on
September 30
will stand so
far back on
the walkway.
Inner
City Press
tweeted photos,
then Periscoped
some of the
Tashlich
ceremony,
attended by
(among others)
the Permanent
Representatives
of Ukraine,
Argentina,
Germany,
Norway,
Brazil, Palau
and UN
officials Kim
Won-soo, Atule
Khare and the
UN's top
lawyer.
Helicopters
whirled
overhead, and
a Coast Guard
ship out on
the river. The
UN General
Assembly week
came near.
Update:
later in the
Tashlich
ceremony, UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon
arrived. It
was not on his
public schedule.
The
UN draft
resolution to
fly the State
of Palestine's
flag in front
of the UN
passed on
September 10,
119 in favor,
45 abstaining
and eight
against: the
United States,
Canada,
Israel,
Australia,
Tuvalu, Palau,
Micronesia and
the Marshall
Islands. Inner
City Press put
the UN voting
sheet online
here.
There were
also countries
which didn't
vote at all,
like Uganda,
Haiti,
Georgia,
Malawi, South
Sudan and,
strangely,
Yemen. Iraq's
Permanent
Representative
said all Arab
Group members
supported the
draft; Yemen's
representative
was in the
building,
Inner City
Press saw and
greeted him.
What happened?
Update:
Inner City
Press went to
the UN General
Assembly
stakeout after
the meeting (Periscope
video here,
including
Palestine's
Permanent
Observer
Mansour
speaking) and
asked Iraq's
Ambassador
about Yemen
not voting; it
was explained
as a problem
of Yemen being
behind on its
dues to the
UN.
The resolution
states that it
is “taking
note of the
participation
of non-member
Observer
States, which
maintain
permanent
observer
missions at
United Nations
Headquarters,
in the
sessions and
work of the
General
Assembly,
recalling that
the State of
Palestine
became a
non-member
Observer State
at the United
Nations on 29
November 2012,
and recalling
also in this
regard its
resolution
67/19 of 29
November 2012
and previous
relevant
resolutions.”
The adopted
resolution
“decides that
the flags of
non-member
Observer
States at the
United Nations
maintaining
permanent
observer
missions at
Headquarters
shall be
raised at the
United Nations
Headquarters
and Offices
following the
flags of the
Member States
of the United
Nations and
requests the
Secretary-General
to undertake
the necessary
measures for
the
implementation
of this
resolution
during the
seventieth
session of the
General
Assembly and
within 20 days
of the
adoption of
this
resolution.”
After
the vote, for
example,
Sweden
explained why
it voted Yes;
Netherlands
said why it
abstained. The
two, and
Italy, will
vie for two
WEOG seats on
the UN
Security
Council.
On
August 28, the
Holy See /
Vatican has
issued this:
“In
accordance
with the rules
governing the
General
Assembly no
Member or
Observer State
is entitled to
oppose the
tabling of a
draft
resolution by
a Member
State. In
light of this,
the Holy See
does not
object to the
tabling of a
draft
resolution
concerning the
raising of the
flags of
Observer
States at the
UN
Headquarters
and offices.
“The
Holy See,
however, notes
the long
established
praxis and
tradition of
the UN, sing
1945, whereby
only flags of
member States
are displayed
at the UN
Headquarters
and offices
and will
accept
whatever
decision the
UN may wish to
take in this
regard in the
future.”
Got it?
Staking out
the August 27
Arab Group
meeting, Inner
City Press was
told by two
major Arab
states that
the flag will
"definitely"
go up, and was
reliably
informed that
the flag for
Palestine
would go after
those of
("full")
member states,
that is near
42nd Street in
front of the
UN Library
building.
Inner City
Press asked an
involved
delegation if
the UN was
ready with the
flag pole and
was told yes,
a letter has
been sent to
that effect.
Much earlier,
anti-flag
delegations
were pitching
the story,
which was
eventually
picked up.
On
both August 27
and again on
August 28,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban Ki-moon's
office of the
spokesperson:
"Yesterday,
Inner City
Press was told
in but not by
the UN that if
the draft
resolution on
raising the
State of
Palestine's
flag at the UN
passes, (1) it
would go at
the end of
Member States,
that is,
nearest 42nd
street and (2)
that 'the UN'
has written a
letter
concerning its
readiness to
install the
needed
flagpole.
"I
understand you
will not
comment on
what may
happen in the
GA but I am
requesting UN
Secretariat
(Protocol, OLA
and/or DM/FMS)
confirmation
of where a
non-member
State's flag
WOULD go, and
on readiness
to install the
flagpole
including that
a letter to
that effect
has been
written and
sent."
The
UN has refused
to answer that
question, for
more than 24
hours.
On
August 27, a
meeting on the
Diplomacy of
Pope Francis,
scheduled at 4
pm in
Conference
Room 3, was listed
as "Closed."
(There was another 4
pm event
upstairs at
the UN.)
Back
on June 18
after UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon
decided not to
list Israel or
Hamas in the
annex of his
Children and
Armed Conflict
report -- nor
the French
troops alleged
to have raped
children in
the Central
African
Republic --
Ban came to
the UN
Security
Council media
stakeout,
accompanied by
CAAC expert
Leila
Zerrougui. But
he answered no
questions.
On June 24,
the UN's Under
Secretary
General for
Political
Affairs
Jeffrey
Feltman
addressed the
Security
Council,
saying:
“The
Secretary
General took
note of the
release on
Monday of the
Human Rights
Council's
independent
Commission of
Inquiry's
report on
Gaza. While we
do not comment
on the
substance of
such reports,
it is our hope
that it will
contribute to
bringing
justice to
victims of
last year's
war and
encourage the
parties to
engage in
serious and
credible
examinations
of their own
behavior."
But is that
credible? Down
in UN
Conference
Room 3, US,
joined only by
Canada, voted
with Israel
against a UN
Budget
resolution on
Lebanon and
the attack on
Qana;
upstairs, the
US'
representative
left the
Council with
Feltman and
got on the
same elevator
with him. Periscope
video here
available for
24 hours,
after 470 live
views. Geneva
may well tilt
one way, but
the
Secretariat
tilts the
other. Watch
this site.
Back on June
18 after Ban
read a
statement
about climate
change and
then the
"controversy"
about his
report, he
said he had to
leave. There
were some
grumbles;
Inner City
Press asked,
about the
Central
African
Republic rapes
and cover up,
what about the
Panel? Ban did
not answer.
Periscope
video for now
here.
Zerrougui
stayed,
gamely; she
declined to
answer about
the
non-inclusion
of Israel.
Inner City
Press asked
her about the
CAR rapes and
cover up. She
said while she
didn't find
out all in
time, once she
did, she spoke
with the
government
concerned.
Inner City
Press reported
exclusively
that Zerrougui
met French
Ambassador
Francois
Delattre --
his Mission
declined to
confirm or
deny, when
asked in
writing by
Inner City
Press - but
what has come
of it?
And what of
the CAR rapes
by the French
troops? They
are mentioned
in the text of
the report,
but not in the
Annex. Ban
said a Panel
would be set
up- but hasn't
yet done it.
Inner
City Press is
exclusively
informed that
concerned
member states
will meet not
with Ban but
his Deputy Jan
Eliasson on
June 19. Some
are concerned
Ban might even
try to put
Eliasson on
the
"independent"
panel, despite
controversy
about an
August 8, 2014
email saying
Eliasson would
be briefed
that afternoon
about the CAR
rapes. (The UN
now says
Eliasson
didn't learn
of them until
April
2015.)
We'll see.
, 
