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News Release Archive | Libya | Accuracy.Org

U.S., International Law, Libya and Israel

February 22, 2011

The United Nations Security Council is meeting today regarding Libya. On Friday, the U.S. used its veto on the Security Council to block a resolution condemning Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.

PHYLLIS BENNIS
A fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, Bennis is author of Calling the Shots: How Washington Dominates Today’s UN. She said today: “There is no doubt that the military assault on unarmed civilian protesters in cities across Libya constitutes serious violations of international humanitarian law — war crimes — and very possibly crimes against humanity. The UN Security Council should demand an immediate halt to the attacks, call for immediate access for international humanitarian and human rights workers and refer the issue to the International Court of Justice to initiate on an emergency basis a full investigation and prosecution of those responsible. Governments with ties to the Libyan regime — especially those in Europe and the U.S. — should immediately sever all military ties, withholding any military equipment that may be in the pipeline. The U.S. should immediately cancel the $165 million contract reportedly signed by General Dynamics two years ago to arm the Libyan military’s elite Second Brigade.”

HOWARD FRIEL
Friel recently wrote the piece “The UN Voting Record of Susan Rice on Palestinian Rights, 2009–2010,” which states: “On Friday, February 18, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, vetoed a UN Security Council resolution which, upon condemning Israel’s settlements in Palestinian territory, had the unanimous support of the 14 other Security Council members and over one hundred state sponsors. Although Rice’s veto in this instance was certainly outrageous, she is no stranger to voting contrary to U.S. obligations under international law, in support of Israel’s violations of Palestinian rights, and against the clear consensus of UN member states, since, as U.S. ambassador, she (or her office) has consistently voted against huge majorities in the UN General Assembly seeking to reaffirm Palestinian rights.”

Friel is coauthor with Richard Falk of Israel-Palestine on Record: How The New York Times Misreports Conflict in the Middle East and The Record of the Paper: How The New York Times Misreports U.S. Foreign Policy.

ANDY WORTHINGTON
Worthington just wrote the piece “Revolution in Libya: Protesters Respond to Gaddafi’s Murderous Backlash with Remarkable Courage; U.S. and UK Look Like the Hypocrites They Are,” which states: “An adept survivor, Gaddafi came onside in the ‘War on Terror’ after the 9/11 attacks, prompting the most miserably transparent examples of hypocrisy on the part of Western nations, as their leaders queued up to welcome the former pariah as an ally and barely managed to disguise their excitement at having access to Libya’s rich oil reserves. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Tagged With: Israel, Libya, united nations,

U.S. Silence on Libya Slaughter

February 21, 2011

Human Rights Watch is reporting at least 233 people have been killed in Libya over four days.

Al-Jazeera English is reporting that two senior Libyan colonels have flown their jets to Malta, rather than carry out orders to bomb the Libyan city of Benghazi, a stronghold of the protesters.

OLIVER MILES
A former British ambassador to Libya, Miles just wrote the piece “How will Libya’s protests play out?” for the Guardian.

NAEEM GHERIANY
A scientist and Libyan-American activist, Gheriany said today: “The Obama administration made a comment suggesting that there are still opportunities for reform. It is in denial. It says it’s ‘concerned’ about the situation — there’s no real condemnation in spite of the dire situation. People are being massacred in the hundreds, Gaddafi is reportedly using anti-aircraft guns to shoot people. In a few days, more people in Libya have apparently been killed than in weeks in Iran, Tunisia, Bahrain, Yemen and even Egypt (which has a much larger population). Gaddafi is hiring foreign mercenaries who have shoot-to-kill orders, it’s not tear gas, it’s just killing. He’s been in office with his erratic, oppressive rule since Nixon was president. Communication with the outside world has been largely cut. The UK has issued a reasonable statement, though we wish even that was stronger, but it’s much better than anything the U.S. has said. Even the oil cannot justify this silence. We don’t want intervention, our people are willing to take out this dictator. We want recognition for what is happening and strong condemnation from the international community, from the United Nations Security Council that the U.S. has so much control over.”

Gheriany is a contributor to the Enough Gaddafi twitter feed, which includes information that has been able to be gotten out of Libya despite the regime’s efforts. Note some links include extremely graphic video: @EnoughGaddafi

For background on how the U.S. and Libyan governments have apparently cooperated on torture, see: “Omar Suleiman, ‘Egypt’s Torturer-in-Chief,’ Tied to False Iraq WMD Tortured ‘Intel,’” which notes that Ibn al-Sheikh al-Libi (who the CIA turned over to the Mubarak regime that tortured him into giving false information on Iraq WMDs used by Colin Powell at the United Nations in 2003) was eventually found in Libya by Human Rights Watch, turning up dead of an alleged “suicide” shortly thereafter.

Also, see Washington Post “Detainee Who Gave False Iraq Data Dies In Prison in Libya.”

For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167

Filed Under: Tagged With: Libya,
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