U.S. State Dept. Recognizes Palestinian Rights

(Washington, DC) December 10—In response to a question posed by the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation at today's Human Rights Day Town Hall held by the State Department, the Obama Administration acknowledged that Israel should be held to same human rights standards as every other country, and that Palestinians are entitled to their full human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

This video shows the question, raised by National Advocacy Director Josh Ruebner, and the answer, given by Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Michael Posner.

Posner rejected the idea that Israel should be held to a lower standard of accountability to human rights than other countries, stating that there is a "single universal standard that applies to every country, including our own. We apply it to Israelis." Posner also affirmed that the State Department views "Palestinians as being human beings under the Universal Declaration [of Human Rights] and entitled to these rights."

Ruebner stated that, "Now that the United States finally recognizes that Palestinians are entitled to universal human rights, and that Israel should be held accountable to these human rights standards, it should be relatively easy for the United States to broker a just and lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace based on these principles."

Ruebner added: "For far too long, U.S. policy toward Israel/Palestine has been based on Israel's perceived security interests to the detriment of Palestinian human rights. The Obama Administration should be applauded for its newfound commitment to Palestinian human rights, which will serve hopefully as the new basis for a revamped U.S. strategy to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace."

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Nonprofits & Activism

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• palestinian
• human
• rights
• israel

[callouschristian]

Israel is a terrorist nation. Period. To  support Israel, one must support terrorism and criminals.

[Uncle99B]

Listen to the BS -- "several flaws with the Goldstone Report". I am sick and tired of watching american politicians bowing to the Jewish Lobby

[raybl]

OK , RECOGNIZE RIGHTS accomplished.

That is the first step of THREE of the ONLY WAY FORWARD.

...next comes APOLOGIZE,

... and then comes TRY TO COMPENSATE.

Good luck with that because NONE of this is in the nature of the ZIONASTY..

..

[johncamus1]

Under Israeli military occupation, millions of Palestinians live in conditions which closely resemble the apartheid system that existed in South Africa:

• No right of free speech, assembly or movement

• Arrest and imprisonment without charge or trial

• Torture

• Homes searches without warrant

• Assassination, extra-judicial murder

• Expanding and adding Israeli settlements

• Building the Apartheid Wall

• Denying the right of return for millions of Palestinian refugees

[Rx4pabulum]

I'm sure he intends his words to act as a prophylactic, but none of us are fooled. The US can no longer be considered an honest broker in any Israeli/Palestinian peace talks or any talk about Palestinian Human Rights.

[briggsmedia]

I think he largely defelected the question. They were clearly uncomfortable with the topic.