Video: Palestine Latest - Settlements and Blockades but No Reconstruction

Latest Post: Damascus Matters - Syria, the US, and the New Middle East
After The Obama-Abbas Meeting: A Palestinian Stuck between Washington and Tel Aviv
Video and Full Transcript of Obama-Abbas Meeting (28 May)

Maxwell Gaylard, the Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and UN Coordinator for Humanitarian and Development Activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, appeared on Enduring America the day before the end of Israel's Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, announcing that Tel Aviv “deliberately blocked the United Nations from building up vital food supplies in Gaza that feed a million people daily”.

Gaylard is back, declaring on Thursday, “Blockades continue in order to protect Israeli settlements.” There are now 630 blockades in the West Bank for 139 outposts with more than 400,000 Israelis.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXV2MxUgrD8[/youtube]

Gaylard added that 80 percent of civilians in Gaza now rely on some sort of assistance either through the United Nations or other international aid institutions. No cement, wood or other housing items have been allowed in, even though more than 40,0000homes were damaged or destroyed by missiles and gunfire in December and January.

Gaylard concluded that, although donor countries had pledged billions of dollars for Gaza’s reconstruction, this could not begin because of the blockade. The only "solution" is the words of Gaylard's UN colleague, Robert Serry: “We will wait and see…”

Video: Reaction to North Korea's Second Nuclear Test

On Tuesday, North Korea announced that it had successfully conducted its second underground nuclear test, producing an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.7. The first test in October 2006 was followed by protracted negotiations in which Pyongyang would disable its nuclear facilities in return for energy aid and removal of its name from a US list of states supporting terrorism. However, from February 2009, North Korea once again moved towards nuclear armament.

International reactions and background follow the video of President Obama’s statement:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

- President Obama: “Grave concern to all nations.”

- Gordon Brown: “Erroneous, misguided and a danger to the world.”

- European Union Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana: “Provocation and we strongly condemn them.”

- NATO: "These irresponsible actions by Pyongyang pose a serious challenge to peace, security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and are being universally condemned by the international community. We call upon Pyongyang to refrain from any other actions which could contribute to raising tensions and to restore dialogue within the Six-Party framework. The Alliance will continue to carefully monitor developments with deep concern."

- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon: “I am deeply worried by a report of nuclear test by Democratic Republic of Korea.”

- Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith: “Provocative.”

- The Kremlin: “Deep regret and the most serious concern.”

- Chinese Foreign Ministry: “Resolutely opposed.”

- Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso: “Unacceptable and a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions."

France called on the UN Security Council to impose further sanctions against North Korea and the South Korean Prime Minister Lee Myung-bak called an emergency meeting of cabinet members. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tried to convince the international public that he had nothing to do with North Korea’s nuclear test, declaring, “We oppose the production, the amassing and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction."

— 1994: Under agreement with US, North Korea pledges to freeze and eventually dismantle its nuclear weapons program in exchange for help building two safer power-producing nuclear reactors.

— Aug. 31, 1998: North Korea fires suspected missile over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean, calling it a satellite.

— Sept. 13, 1999: North pledges to freeze long-range missile tests.

— July 2001: U.S. State Department reports North Korea is developing long-range missile.

— December 2001: President George W Bush warns Iraq and North Korea will be "held accountable" if they develop weapons of mass destruction.

— Jan. 10, 2003: North Korea announces withdrawal from Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

— August 2003: North Korea joins first round of six-nation nuclear talks in Beijing with China, U.S. Japan, Russia and South Korea.

— July 5, 2006: North Korea launches seven missiles into waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan, including a medium-range Taepodong-2.

— July 15, 2006: UN Security Council adopts Resolution 1695 demanding North Korea halt missile program.

— Oct. 9, 2006: North Korea conducts underground nuclear test blast after citing "extreme threat of a nuclear war" from U.S.

— Oct. 15, 2006: UN Security Council adopts Resolution 1718 condemning test, imposing sanctions and banning North Korea from all activities related to its nuclear weapons program.

— Feb. 13, 2007: North Korea agrees to disable its main nuclear facilities in return for energy aid and other benefits.

— July 14, 2007: North Korea shuts down main Yongbyon reactor, later starts disabling it.

— June 27, 2008: North Korea destroys cooling tower at Yongbyon.

— Sept. 19, 2008: North Korea says it is restoring nuclear facilities at Yongbyon.

— Oct. 11, 2008: U.S. removes North Korea from a list of states that sponsor terrorism.

— Feb. 15, 2009: North Korea claims it has the right to "space development."

— Feb. 23: South Korea says North Korea has a new type of ballistic missile capable of reaching northern Australia and Guam.

— April 5: North Korea launches long-range rocket from its base on the country's northeast coast.

— April 13: UN Security Council condemns launch.

— April 14: North Korea announces withdrawal from disarmament talks and says it will restore partly disabled nuclear facilities.

— April 25: North Korea announces start of reprocessing of spent fuel rods from its nuclear plant. A UN Security Council committee approves new sanctions on three major North Korean companies in response to the rocket launch.

— April 29: North Korea threatens to conduct nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests unless the UN Security Council apologizes for criticizing its long-range rocket launch.

— May 7-12: Special U.S. envoy on North Korea visits Asia, says Washington is ready for direct talks with Pyongyang.

— May 8: North Korea dismisses talks with U.S. as useless, citing Washington's "hostile policy".

— May 25: North Korea announces it successfully conducted a nuclear test.

It is obvious that North Korea did not keep an account of what the majority of ‘others’ said, but the following days will show us to what extent Obama Administration’s leadership and effectiveness in handling the situation can bring a solution which can allay and satisfy its partners. All eyes are now looking curiously for the next line in the timeline of Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs…

Gaza: Scientific Mission Finds Evidence of Israeli Use of Depleted Uranium and White Phosphorous

In April 2009 a four-person mission including Jean-François Fechino, an international specialist in the effects of banned weapons upon the environment and sustainable development, visied Gaza under the auspices of the Arab Commission for Human Rights. The samples of earth and dust that they brought back from Gaza were analyzed by a specialist laboratory.

While a United Nations committee under Richard Goldstone, the former International War Crimes Prosecutor, has not been authorized by the Israeli government to investigate such incidents in Gaza, the findings of the ACHR team raises the possibility that the use of depleted uranium, in addition to white phosphorous bombs, by the Israeli military during Operation Cast Lead will be confirmed.

The report concluded that Palestinian fighters had only unsophisticated weapons, such as Qassam and Grad rockets, while Israel was able to employ the most modern weaponry to bombard the population of Gaza from the air, land, and sea.

Israel initially denied it had used white phosphorous in the offensive; it later admitted its use but denied this was unlawful. The Committee was satisfied on the available evidence that white phosphorous was used as an incendiary weapon in densely populated areas.

The Committee found that the Israeli Defense Forces were responsible for the killing, wounding, and terrorizing of civilians. The Committee based this finding on the number of civilians killed by 22 days of intense bombardment by air, sea, and land. The Committee also found the weapons used by the IDF, particularly white phosphorous and flechettes, caused superfluous and unnecessary suffering.

The Committee echoed the assertions of other reports on white phosphorous, for example, the Amnesty Report which several instances of its use in carrier shells “throughout Gaza”, including:

The United Nations Relief and Works Administration primary school in Beit Lahiyeh, where approximately 1,600 people were seeking shelter from the ongoing fighting. Two brothers, aged 5 and 7, were killed and 14 others were injured when a white phosphorous shell landed in a second-floor classroom;

The UNRWA field operations headquarters where tens of tons of medicines, food and non-food items were destroyed;

The residential areas in and around Gaza City and in the north (at Jabalya refugee camp) and the south (at Khuzaa, east of Khan Younis) of the Gaza Strip.

In March 2009, Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a report entitled “Rain of Fire. Israel’s Unlawful Use of White Phosphorous in Gaza.” The report detailed the confirmed uses of white phosphorous in Gaza during the conflict “in densely populated areas”, at the “edges of populated areas", and “in open areas.”

HRW reported six cases where white phosphorous was allegedly used in urban and outlying areas.

• In the Tel al-Hawa Neighborhood, Gaza City on 15 and 16 January 2009;
• At the Al-Quds Hospital, Tel al-Hawa Neighborhood, Gaza City on 15 January 2009;
• At the UNRWA Headquarters Compound, Gaza City on 15 January 2009
• At the Beit Lahiyeh UNRWA School on 17 January 2009;
• Siyafa Village, Beit Lahiyeh on 10 January 2009;
• Khuza’a Village, between 11 and 13 January 2009.

HRW concluded that the use of white phosphorous in “densely populated neighborhoods, including downtown Gaza City, violated international humanitarian law (the laws of war), which requires taking all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm and prohibits indiscriminate attacks.”

UN: The Problem with Sri Lanka's Internment Camps Is....Noise

Now that the military conflict is over in Sri Lanka, the issue of internment camps with up to 300,000 Tamil refugees is getting a fair amount of attention. The BBC's top radio news programme even led with the item, above and beyond the crisis of Members of Parliaments' expenses, on Saturday morning.

And Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has given the United Nations' seal of concern with a visit to the camps. This does not mean, however, that the UN --- in contrast to the Red Cross and other international aid organisations --- sees access to the refugees as the major problem.

No, as Vijay Nambiar, the UN secretary general's chief of staff, explained to the press, it's just a question of everyone being very, very quiet:

As far as I can see, the government has told us that there is no restriction on access, there is perhaps a restriction on the number of vehicles, at any given time can go in, and I think this is a little more than just .... I’d like to make... they made it clear to us, that very often to have one NGO [non-government organisation] with ten vehicles going up and down, it causes a fair amount of disturbance to the local populations, the concept, the idea here is to be of a help to the IDPs [internally displaced persons], I think it is important if they can help if necessary by going on foot I think it would be useful to be a little more sensitive."

The UN Special Envoy to the Middle East: "Let's Wait and See."

Robert Serry, the UN Special Envoy to the Middle East, appeared on BBC's Hard Talk, hosted by Stephen Sackur, last Monday.  Serry's "wait and see" approach, shedding light on the relationship between Israel and the UN since Operation Cast Lead in January, again called the extent of the effectiveness of the UN into question.

Here are some remarkable extracts from the conversation:

The Confession of the Trust Problem between the United Nations and the State of Israel

S.S.: Robert Serry, welcome to Hard Talk. Would you accept that you have a problem? You are the UN’s envoy to the Middle East peace process, yet one party to the Middle East conflict, that is, Israel, does not trust the UN.

R.S.: I took the job; I knew it was not going to be an easy one. What you refer to is something which I think we have to resolve. And I do believe that Israel will look at peacekeeping operations. And the UN peacekeeping operation is one of the most successful.

S.S.: UN plays a role in various ways across the Middle East region. But would you accept that there is a fundamental problem of trust between Israel and the United Nations?

R.S.: Yes, I think we have a problem, and it is there to be resolved.

“Yes” to an Investigation but No Breakthrough:

S.S.: Do you believe that war crimes were committed? And a special panel created by the Human Rights Council must go to Gaza and Israel and do a detailed investigation of allegations these war crimes?

R.S.: Certainly. And the Goldstone mission is preparing to go.

S.S.: The Israelis will not let you into Gaza. What did they say; when you said the panel must be allowed in? What did they say?

R.S.: We have not yet received a final answer on that issue.

A Vague Answer to the Current Situation of Gazans:

S.S.: John Ging who runs the Relief Operation in Gaza Strip. I am quoting his words: “The level of access to humanitarian assistance in Gaza today is wholly and totally inadequate.” If the situation is current and if the Israelis are refusing to lift the blockade, to stop the situation being wholly and totally inadequate, does that constitute a violation of humanitarian law?

R.S.: You can not keep a population hostage, no matter how difficult a security situation Israel claims it finds itself in. We have had a war, and after the war, none of the underlying issues in Gaza have been resolved. The rocket fire, into the southern Israel, which is completely unacceptable, and the Secretary General has always called it for what it is, terror acts. But for the moment, there is a relative calm. Then we have the continued siege. There is enough food and medicine, but we cannot start the process of reconstruction four months after the conflict. Then you have Palestinian reconciliation. You have illicit smuggling of arms, and of course, Gilad Shalit. We had all these issues before, and we still have them. We desperately need a more positive situation for Gaza. The UN has been one of the first to go for that.

A Cold Shower:

S.S.: When I hear that long list, I wonder if you have one of the most frustrating jobs in the world. I can talk about a number of mission you have tried to undertake, and it seems that you have absolutely no leverage, no impact at all.

R.S.: I don’t think so.

S.S.: Can you point to where you have actually changed the situation on the ground in this conflict between Israel and the Palestinians?

R.S.: Come back to Gaza, we are making a difference. We are involved in the difficult situation between the Palestinian factions.

Did Someone Ask about Hamas?

S.S.: But you can not talk to Hamas, can you?
R.S.: I don’t talk to them myself.
S.S.: You do not to talk to Hamas, do you think you should?
R.S.: Let us take a step back.
S.S.: A direct question, should you be able to talking to Hamas, given your role as the UN Special Envoy?
S.R.: If Hamas would take the steps which and I needed to have a successful reconciliation – these are the real issues. If it would be like that, I would be the first to talk to them.
S.S.: Your predecessor has made it quite plain that he believes the UN, the players to the peace process, must engage with and involve Hamas. He said that isolating them has been a disaster.
S.R.: I agree with him there. Having a siege in Gaza leads nowhere. It is a policy which I do not support. We have the Quartet. We have the so called Quartet principles which mean that the Palestinian government needs to renounce violence. It needs to recognize Israel and abide by previous commitments. We are now at a very important moment if we are looking ahead. A renewed, serious attempt, led by the new administration of the United States.
S.S.: Here is what strikes me… The situation has changed. We have Barak Obama in the White House; a man who says he wants to reach out to those enemies who prepared to unclench their fists. We have George Mitchell who was involved in the process of making peace in Northern Ireland when the peacemakers had to talk to the IRA long before they put down their weapons and committed to the lasting peace. We also have the Americans in Iraq who worked with indeed armed men. In this 21st century of peacemaking, can you not accept that you will have to accept Hamas?
R.S.: I would be the first and happy to talk to Hamas if it indeed leads to some positive results.

“Give Time to Netanyahu”:

S.S.: You told there about a two-state solution. Those are words which Benjamin Netanyahu has steadfastly refused to use since he became the Israeli prime minister. Does that worry you?
R.S.: He will talk with President Obama…
S.S.: You have a Prime Minister who finds it very difficult to even to say the words two-state solution, which you say must be the very underpinning of any solution? Is that a problem?
R.S.: It could be a problem.
S.S.: It is a very big problem.
R.S.: We have a new government. The elected government is having its own policy review at the moment. We have to give time to complete that. They will then tell us where they stand.

“Wait & See” Part 1:

S.S.: If the Israelis refuse to cooperate with this UN Commission, what will relations be?
R.S.: Let’s wait and see.

“Wait & See” Part 2:

S.S.: Do you think the government led by Benjamin Netanyahu is going to stop the settlement expansion?
R.S.: Let’s wait and see.
S.S.: All right, let’s wait and see on that.

Sadly we can't embed a video here, but readers in the UK can watch the show on the BBC iPlayer.