UN reluctantly admits that Palestinians sometimes hurt their own civilians

The UN issued a report whose very raison d'etre was to bash Israel, with the title "Tenth emergency special session/Agenda item 5/Illegal Israeli actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory/Protection of the Palestinian civilian population/Report of the Secretary-General

But buried within the lies and half-truths, the UN grudgingly admits that Hamas and the PA don't always act like angels either.

In Gaza, in addition to the closures imposed, 2 million Palestinians live under the rule of Hamas and its increasingly separate legal and administrative system. To date, Fatah and Hamas have failed to demonstrate the necessary commitment to advancing reconciliation, which has exacerbated the dire humanitarian and economic situation and undermined stability. Hamas and other militant groups have previously used civilians as covers for militant activities, carried out extrajudicial executions and used the death penalty, in contravention of Palestinian and international legal obligations.

The shrinking space for civil society organizations and human rights defenders remains a cause for concern. There have been incidents where the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have taken actions that have resulted in limits on freedom of expression and, in some cases, arbitrary arrests and the violent suppression of protests. 

The biggest irony in this report by the Secretary General is that - within a report whose very title presupposed only Israeli guilt in a special session dedicated to Israel alone - he writes how he wants to be objective:

I reiterate the call that I made before the Human Rights Council in 2017, that we must speak up for human rights in an impartial way, without double standards, not allowing them to be instrumentalized as a political tool, while upholding the rule of law and the need for justice and accountability. I call upon all Member States to work with me and with the parties to help them to secure their rights and to fulfil their obligations in full equality and humanity and in accordance with international law. 

(h/t Irene)

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