Sorting by

×
ePalestine.ps - Sam Bahour

SUBSCRIBE | DONATE | CONTACT

News & opinions from a Palestinian-American
living & working in Ramallah/Al-Bireh, Palestine

[ePalestine] IHT: Switzerland says Israel breaking international law

by | November 14, 2008 | Latest News

International Herald Tribune 

Switzerland says Israel breaking international law 

The Associated Press 

Thursday, November 13, 2008 

GENEVA: Switzerland accused Israel on Thursday of wantonly destroying Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem and near Ramallah in violation of the Geneva Conventions’ rules on military occupation. 

The Swiss Foreign Ministry demanded that Israel immediately halt the demolitions, which Israel has said are aimed at removing illegally constructed shacks. 

An Israeli Embassy spokeswoman in the Swiss capital of Bern said the decision to remove the structures was "not an arbitrary decision," but was sanctioned by law. 

"This demolition of houses was done under a court order," embassy spokeswoman Shlomit Sufa said Thursday. 

Switzerland ? as the guardian of the Geneva Conventions ? can call meetings of the treaty’s signatories if it finds problems with its implementation, but does not have any special powers to enforce the document. 

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lars Knuchel said the demolitions violated the 1949 Geneva Conventions, regarded as the cornerstone of international law on the obligations of warring and occupying powers. The Fourth Convention states that occupying powers must respect the property of civilian populations under their control. 

Switzerland said it lodged a formal protest with the Israeli Foreign Ministry over recent demolitions, which now bring the tally to more than 600 destroyed homes in east Jerusalem and 1,600 altogether in the West Bank since 2000. 

The Swiss statement, using unusually harsh language, said the neutral country "regards the recent incidents as violations of international humanitarian law" and notes "no military need to justify the destruction of these houses." 

The Swiss statement called east Jerusalem an "integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory" ? a phrase that could anger hardline Jewish groups that believe Israel should maintain control over the entire city. Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, but Palestinians claim the territory as the capital of their hoped-for state. 

Sufa said the Israeli government "regrets" that phrasing in the Swiss statement, noting the status of east Jerusalem and other territories is still subject to a final peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian authorities. 

The Jerusalem-based Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions said that so far this year dozens of Palestinian homes have been pulled down in east Jerusalem, and activists say the city has issued orders against 90 more homes. 

Copyright © 2008 The International Herald Tribune | www.iht.com

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/13/europe/EU-Switzerland-Israel.php

———————————————————————–

Everything about this list:

http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/epalestine

To unsubscribe, send mail to:

epalestine-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net

To subscribe, send mail to:

epalestine-subscribe@lists.riseup.net

Author

  • Sam Bahour

    Sam Bahour is a Palestinian-American business consultant, writer, and commentator based in Al-Bireh/Ramallah, Palestine. He is the principal of Applied Information Management (AIM), a consultancy specializing in business development and startup advisory services.

    Bahour played a foundational role in establishing two of Palestine’s publicly traded companies: the Palestine Telecommunications Company (PALTEL) and the Arab Palestinian Shopping Centers (APSC). He co-founded Americans for a Vibrant Palestinian Economy (A4VPE), of which he is now an emeritus member, and served as an independent director on the board of Arab Islamic Bank P.L.C. from 2004 to 2025. He currently serves on the board of Just Vision and The Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS).

    He frequently gives talks to delegations visiting Palestine on the subjects of Palestine’s political economy, Palestinian Politics 101, and a general orientation to the state of affairs under Israeli military occupation.

    A prolific writer on Palestinian affairs, Bahour has been published in major international outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, Haaretz, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, Al Jazeera America, Le Monde diplomatique, Al-Monitor, +972 Magazine, The Hill, and Arab News. He has appeared as a commentator on NPR, CNN, BBC, and other broadcast media.

    Bahour is the co-editor of Homeland: Oral Histories of Palestine and Palestinians (Olive Branch Press, 1993) and was profiled in the bestselling anthology Kingdom of Olives and Ash, edited by Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman, in a chapter authored by Chabon titled “The Tallest Man in Ramallah.” He holds an Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree in Computer Technology from Youngstown State University, and a Kellogg-Recanati International Executive MBA — a joint program of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and the Recanati Business School at Tel Aviv University.

    He tweets at @SamBahour, blogs at www.epalestine.ps, and may be reached at sbahour[AT]gmail[DOT]com.

    View all posts

Share This Page