US Faces Isolation on Security Council Over Settlements

A surge in settler violence and increased construction and plans for Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem have again placed the Obama administration in a tough spot at the UN Security Council, where some of its closest allies Tuesday strongly condemned recent Israeli policies and settlement activities.

While American officials have repeatedly said they oppose Israeli settlement expansion as illegitimate and counter-productive to the peace process, the US administration used its first and only Security Council veto back in February to oppose a resolution condemning Israeli settlement expansion in a 14-1 vote. 

US support for Israel is a sensitive political issue for this administration.Republican opponents have already criticized the White House for its strained relationship with the Netanyahu government, and less than a year away from an election, the administration likely won’t change its position, should the issue once again come before the Security Council as was suggested by some countries Tuesday. 

Calls for Security Council involvement in the conflict come at a time when the US is trying to convince other Council members to support resolutions and sanctions targeting the regimes in Syria and Iran. A US veto to block another lopsided vote against settlements could further damage American standing in the Arab world and hurt administration’s efforts at the United Nations.

In a briefing on the latest developments Tuesday, UN assistant secretary-general for political affairs, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco called Israeli actions a violation of its obligations under the international community’s roadmap for peace.

Taranco said there had been an alarming increase in settlement construction in East Jerusalem, the cities of Shilo, Efrat and Beitar Illit and that after a long period of restraint, Israeli authorities had resumed in December the demolition of Palestinian residential structure in Jerusalem.

Taranco also briefed the Council members on renewed reports of settler violence, which he says have become a systematic occurrence and often take place in the context of anticipated government action against illegal settlement construction. He said that over the past month, mosques in the West Bank, Hebron, West Jerusalem and near Ramallah have been fire bombed and desecrated and that six Palestinians including two children had been injured in other attacks by settlers.

Security Council diplomats issued statements on behalf of larger diplomatic groups and individually after the briefing,  with IBSA ( India, Brazil, South Africa), the Non Aligned Movement (Group of 120 countries) ,  the four European Council members ( France, UK, Portugal, Germany) as well as Russia, each condemning the surge in settler construction and violence against Palestinian civilians. 

 The American delegation at the United Nations did not issue a statement.. 

Speaking on behalf on the four European Council members, British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said France, Portugal, Germany and the UK where “dismayed” by the negative developments on the ground, which he said had a devastating effect on the peace process. Lyall Grant urged the Israeli government to reverse course on settlement activity, including in East Jerusalem.

“We believe that Israel’s security and the realization of the Palestinians right to statehood  are not opposing goals. On the contrary, they are mutually reinforcing objectives but they will not be achieved while settlement building and settler violence continues.”

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Moscow was also increasingly concerned and frustrated by recent developments, which he said clearly raised human right concerns but also put in question the feasibility of the two state solution. 

“If you look at the map, you start wondering how, even theoretically, two states can be set up in Gaza and West Bank given this new reality.”

Churkin said his country would favor the Security Council using its leverage on the issue of settlements in hopes to encourage real negotiations.

“You can hear people these days say in other contexts: “The international community must act, the security council must act.” he said. “ Why doesn’t it apply to the Israeli-Palestinian track of our diplomatic and political effort? We think it can be done in a way which is not harming Israeli security and interests at all.”

Russia has of late been sharply criticized by US and European governments for blocking a Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on the Syrian government for its crackdown against protesters, although last week Moscow proposed its own draft resolution on Syria which has since been welcomed by European diplomats as a good starting point for negotiations.

Churkin said Israel’s large political coalition make any discussions about possible concessions a complicated for the Israeli government, and that the country’s leadership may need a “gentle prod” from the international community or Security Council to uphold its international obligations.

Both the NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) and IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) statements called on Council members to speak out against violations of international law and uphold Security Council resolutions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

 Brazilian Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti said ending settlement expansion wasn’t a concession “but an obligation as per various resolution per international law”.

 The Brazilian Ambassador said Security Council involvement was required to settle the conflict.

 “The IBSA countries believe the Security Council has an irreplaceable role to play in the peace process, mainly by condemning violence and calling for a complete halt to settlement activity, calling for the implementation of its own resolutions..”

In his report today assistant secretary-general for political affairs Taranco, also detailed the deteriorating security situation in Gaza and Southern Israel. 

Taranco said Israeli forces carried out 13 airstrikes and 9 incursions in Gaza over the past month, resulting in the death of eight Palestinian militants and injuring 24 civilians. 

He said Palestinian militants responded by firing 45 projectiles into Israel after one of the IDF strikes killed two Islamic jihad militants and injured 10 civilians. Israeli officials say the two Jihadist were preparing an attack. He said there was no reported injuries or damage in Israel from the rocket fire from Gaza.

 In the West Bank IDF forces carried out 237 operations,154 civilians injured including 6 children. The operations also resulted in the arrest of over 200 people.

Is US Aid To Post-Election Egypt At Risk?

With the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice party likely to play an important role in the country’s next government, some observers are concerned the US Congress could cut funding to Egypt, one of America’s most important Arab partners and beneficiaries of foreign aid. 

US foreign assistance to Egypt is set to be over 1.65 Billion dollars in 2011, 1.3 billion of which is reserved for military aid. Other major areas of funding are economic development (246 million), Education (43 million) Democracy, Human Rights and Governance (30 million) Health (20 million) and Environment ( 10 million). 

Author and Council on Foreign Relations Middle Eastern Fellow Ed Husain says domestic political considerations and lack of knowledge about the Muslim Brotherhood could lead Congress to make a push for cuts, even if the preponderance of power will likely remain with the military after the election.

In June, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ileana Ros Lehtinen (R-FL) was quick to criticize Egypt’s military leaders for recognizing the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party and threatened action. 

“The Muslim Brotherhood is committed to violence and extremism. Neither freedom nor justice will be advanced by any political party established by the Muslim Brotherhood.” she said in a June 8 statement . “United States policy must reflect this reality, and the Administration must not engage the Muslim Brotherhood, or allow direct or indirect U.S. assistance to benefit that organization.”

“Sadly there is a mindset and advocacy around Congress that flies in the face of facts. So the Muslim Brotherhood is being portrayed as a monolithic movement, the diverse strands of thought within the Muslim Brotherhood are not understood by most people on the Hill.” Husain said in a CFR organized conference call from Cairo. 

He says he is concerned the group’s long and often controversial history will make it an obvious target.

“Its easy to build up an argument and say “The Brotherhood supported Hamas, the Brotherhood supported the Nazi’s, the Brotherhood was a terrorist organization through out the 1940’s, the Brotherhood is an anti - US organization. Why should US taxpayers fund the Muslim Brotherhood?” Those are the kinds of arguments that are going to be thrown into the public space in the US and my fear is that it is going to be difficult to add caveat, nuance and balanced thinking amidst that storm.” 

Husein says regions of Egypt that have so far voted have done so peacefully despite a scuffle in high profile area of Cairo between an Islamist and Liberal candidate and a shoot out in the city of Asyut. He says he has visited 20 or so polling station over the past two days and that while he remains critical of the Brotherhood, its members are by far the most active and well organized.

“They are the only force out there that a) have a manifesto, b) have some kind of vision as what they want to bring about and c) have the mechanisms to do so.” 

Husain says he has been in contact with members of the Muslim Brotherhood’s three main factions and that the driving force behind its focused campaign is the faction of deputy leader Khairat el Shater, an engineer and successful banker who was imprisoned for more than ten years under the Mubarak regime. 

“He understands liberal economics, he understands capitalism, he was educated in Britain, he is not a man who is cut off from the rest of the world like some of the older leaders of the past.” Husain said of el Shater.

Husain says the Brotherhood has been consulting with the Turkish and Qatari governments and had reportedly hired a “top five” Western accountancy firm to help it devise policy mechanisms. 

“The vast majority of their leadership is dominated by people from engineering, medical and other professional backgrounds so they are by nature almost technocrats who are have given to managing large institutions.”

Hussein says the Obama administration has adjusted its policy towards the Brotherhood, since Secretary of State Hilary Clinton refused to meet with members of the group six months ago. 

He says the US is now engaging with its leaders, but the administration’s future relationship with the group remains unclear.  Husein says he believes Freedom and Justice officials will be looking for constructive engagement with the US as well as a possible free trade agreement, but that Congress’s likely hostility to the group could be a significant obstacle.

Republican Suggests Obama Wanted Super Committee To Fail

Rep. Bill Huizenga (R- Mich.) accused the Obama administration Tuesday of intentionally benefitting from the Super Committee’s failure.

“It appears from the outside that they [Obama’s administration] made a calculated political move,” Huizenga told TRNS about the Super Committee’s failure. “They didn’t do much to help that process along and if there was a real desire to help that, the President could have and should have gotten engaged.”

Due to the Super Committee’s failure to reach a deficit reduction deal by Thanksgiving, there will be $1.2 billion in mandatory cuts in government spending beginning in 2013. Around $600 billion will be cut from defense and the rest will be deducted from domestic spending.

“We are going down a dangerous road here,” Huizenga remarked to TRNS.”The thing we need to do to revive this is revive our economy so people will come off of assistance and pay more in taxes.”

In regards to Obama’s proposed payroll tax extension, Huizenga stated that a reformed permanent tax code needs to be instated.

“We are continuing to do economic and tax policy piece meal - a little bit here and a little bit there. We aren’t doing comprehensive reform,” Huizenga said. “If were going to do it, it makes more sense to have permanent tax policy rather than temporary after temporary after temporary tax policy.”

Huizenga mentioned that an ideal tax code would be a flat tax that would eliminate loopholes and tax credits.

Interior Secretary Under Fire Over Obama Energy Policy

By Adrianna McGinley

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar faced tough scrutiny by members of the House Natural Resources Committee regarding the Obama administration’s energy policy.

Republican members of the committee cited the lengthy process oil companies go through to lease and develop land in order be able to produce oil, saying the record high levels of domestic oil production could not possibly be the result of Obama administration policy.

Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) criticized Salazar and the entire Obama administration for “taking credit” for current oil production success.

“That just doesn’t make any sense to me,” Labrador said. “If it takes more than two or three years to get from lease to production and we have the highest production right now, isn’t it true…that this is based on actions from the previous administration?”

Members of the committee also blasted the administration for proposing more federal regulation of the hydrofracking method of energy production and for delaying a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline.

“What we’re now watching is the administration systematically shutting off our future oil development,” said Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.).

Rep. John Fleming (R-La.) defended hydrofracking saying it is a method that has worked safely for decades and concerns are unfounded. The Congressman blasted Salazar for not being able to answer “basic” technical questions regarding hydrofracking concerns.

“These are very simple questions…If the very top level doesn’t know the very basics of the technology, why is it that you somehow feel you can insinuate yourself into the process.”

Committee Ranking Member Edward Markey (D-Mass.) defended the administration, saying rather it is Republicans who are holding back domestic energy production.

“It is the Republican Majority that is protecting the billions of dollars we could retrieve from making oil and gas companies pay their fair share for drilling on our public lands. It is the Republican Majority that has opposed Democratic efforts to close free drilling loopholes, and end unnecessary tax breaks…Congressional Republicans are making our debt negotiations look worse than the NBA lockout.”

After several heated confrontations with members of the committee, the Interior Secretary told reporters that he stands by his testimony and the administration.

“From day one the president and I have worked on developing a comprehensive energy program for the nation. It’s a broad portfolio and we’re making significant progress on all fronts,” Salazar said. “With respect to the heated exchange…it’s the political season and I understand it and a member of Congress wants to score a point back home and so it’s to be expected.”

US and Allies Want Tough UN Resolution on Syria

The US and European powers will work to get the Security Council to bring more pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad even as the UN prepares a mission to Syria this weekend to gather information on the crisis there.

“We support further action in the Security Council through a resolution.”  US Deputy Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo told reporters after senior UN officials briefed the Security Council on the  situation. “More than ever, the Council should increase pressure on Assad’s regime.”

German, French, Portuguese and British diplomats at the UN joined the US in announcing they would be negotiating the adoption of a Security Council resolution to increase pressure on Syria,where security forces have been cracking down on demonstrators for months, possibly killing as many as 2,000. 

The proposed resolution may run into resistance from Russia and China, permanent members of the Security Council.

British Deputy Ambassador Philip Parham said he didn’t want to rule out any elements of a possible resolution the Council might be able to agree on, but said they would likely be based on the type of measures adopted by the EU.

“Asset freezes and travel bans on individuals and entities particularly involved in perpetrating the violence and arms embargoes, those are the kind of measures which we believe will help to discourage those who are responsible and make it harder to continue the violence.” he said. 

A UN Human Rights Council fact-finding report on Syria found evidence Syrian security forces carried out “widespread” and “systematic” human rights violations that could amount to crimes against humanity, Navi Pillay,  UN Human Rights Chief told the Council members in closed door consultations. Pillay also suggested Council members consider referring the situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The UNHRC report examines the situation in Syria from March 15th until mid July. Its fact finding team did not have access to Syria, but worked in neighboring countries, basing its findings on video evidence and eye witness accounts. Syrian ambassador to the UN Bashar Jaafari condemend the report for ignoring his government’s version of the events.

Pillay told reporters afterwards she was pleased the Security Council condemned the violence against civilians, but wasn’t holding out much hope it would act on a referral to the ICC. The UN Rights Chief says Security Council members seemed to be looking to President Assad to begin his political reform agenda and argued UNHRC should have a monitoring presence on the ground to ensure the implementation of reform measures she says have so far been undermined by continued right violations. 

The UN, aid agencies and International media organizations have largely been shut out of Syria since violence broke out in March.

 UN Humanitarian Coordinator Valerie Amos told reporters she expected a humanitarian mission led by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to go to Syria this weekend and that the UN has been guaranteed full access for the Assad government.

“We would want to concentrate on those places were there have been reports of fighting so we can see for ourselves what is going on.” she said after the briefing.

The UN Security Council session on Syria  comes as the Obama administration announced today it was officially calling for Assad to leave office and strengthening sanctions against the Syrian authorities and their business interests. 

European leaders Angela Merkel, Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron also released a joint statement calling on Assad to step down.

 Pressure against the Assad government has been slowly mounting since the Security Council agreed to issue a Presidential statement on August 3rd, condemning the use of force against civilians and calling for an immediate end to all violence. 

Saudi King Abdullah and Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan have since both called on Assad to put an end to the government crackdown.

The violence reportedly intensified in Hama and Homs over the past week, and military strikes in the port city of Latakia have allegedly killed several dozen and displaced thousands more since Saturday.

Despite the August 2nd Security Council Statement, a significant number of Council members have been hesitant to condemn the Syrian crackdown too strongly and argued the destruction of state property and death toll suffered by Syrian forces were evidence dangerous armed elements were part of the protests. 

India,Brazil and South Africa, a new diplomatic group referred to as IBSA, have also resisted Western led initiatives to exert more pressure on Syria at the UN. Last week diplomats for all three countries met with Assad to find a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

Syrian Ambassador Bashar Jaafari, speaking to reporters after the Security Council, accused Western powers of using the UN to promote their own interests but said other Security Council members would not support attempts to undermine Syrian sovereignty.

“There is no concrete outcome from this session because, thank God,we still have wise guys inside this Council, who do have different information and who do have contradictory information and do have solid and credible reports…since we are talking about reports.”