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Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Miftah illustrates how to turn a good UN resolution into a weapon against Israel

Here's how the UN describes UN Security Council Resolution 1325, from 2000:
The Security Council adopted resolution (S/RES/1325) on women and peace and security on 31 October 2000. The resolution reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction and stresses the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security. Resolution 1325 urges all actors to increase the participation of women and incorporate gender perspectives in all United Nations peace and security efforts. It also calls on all parties to conflict to take special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, particularly rape and other forms of sexual abuse, in situations of armed conflict. The resolution provides a number of important operational mandates, with implications for Member States and the entities of the United Nations system.
The UN documents associated with this initiative are meant to help women vote and increase their participation in their own local and national politics.

So when Miftah, the NGO that pushed an antisemitic blood libel and has supported terrorism multiple times, created a workshop on UNSC 1325 last week, what was their primary purpose? To help include more women in the PA to be involved in the moribund peace process? To empower women in Gaza to take on more important roles in the Hamas government?

No, of course not. This is Miftah. Here is their major goal:
In a general session on UN Security Council 1325 held by MIFTAH in recently Nablus, participants focused on the need to work through the resolution in order to document Israeli violations against Palestinians, especially women and to spread awareness among them, especially in villages that are flashpoints with the Israeli occupation.
The entire purpose of the resolution is being subverted to further a specifically anti-Israel goal.

Which is pretty much what most NGOs in the territories do, when it comes down to it - use the language of the UN and human rights not to improve their own lives but to create ever new weapons against a single state.

This Miftah initiative, by the way, was funded by the UN Development Programme.