Middle East Peace Deal Politically Impossible At Moment Says UN Human Rights Rapporteur

Israeli government policies on settlements and forced evictions contradict the international community’s framework for the peace process and will likely prevent any consensus on a two state solution,says Richard Falk, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the situation of human right in the Palestinian Territories.

  “The basis of international negotiations seems increasingly problematic as a solution because it would require the substantial reversal of the settlement process. The political realities in Israel and among the settler population make that a non viable possibility. “ Falk told reporters at a press conference in New York today.

 Israeli officials maintain that settlement issue should be part of final status negotiations and not prevent the continuation of peace talks.

 The Middle East Quartet, a group of US, British, Russian and UN diplomats tasked with advancing the peace process, has repeatedly called on Israel to stop all settlement activity while specifying that the end of a moratorium on settlements would not justify the end of negotiations.

 Falk, who presented his last report as Special Rapporteur to the General Assembly on Wednesday, says the accelerated expansion in East Jerusalem and the end of the Israeli settlement freeze in the West Bank are contradictory to the condition of withdrawal in Security Council resolution 242 on the Occupied Territories and a violation of international law.

 A Princeton professor and long time international law expert before being appointed to in his post by the Human Rights Council in 2008, Falk believes civil society groups in both countries will need to continue boycott and divestment initiatives and increase their efforts at challenging the legal aspects of the occupation.

 US officials have in the past opposed measures at pressuring Israel through boycotts or divestment as counter productive and criticized the Special Rapporteur’s mandate for being biased and overly focused on Israeli responsibility, failing to consider Hamas role in the Gaza humanitarian situation. 

 On Friday, Falk argued that the limited mandate and context of his report had no bearing on the charges against Israel or his assessment of humanitarian law situation in Gaza, West Bank or East Jerusalem.”The larger context is helpful in understanding the interaction, but it isn’t helpful in excusing Israeli behavior.”