Being Right is Not Wrong

The head of Iran’s soccer federation issued a public apology and a member of his staff resigned after the federation mistakenly sent a New Year’s greeting to its counterpart in Israel, Iranian officials announced Sunday.

There are dozens of editors working overtime at the CBC, trying to figure out how to blame this on George W Bush.

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL ENDORSES RECOMMENDATIONS
IN REPORT OF FACT-FINDING MISSION LED BY
JUSTICE GOLDSTONE AND CALLS FOR
THEIR IMPLEMENTATION

My favorite part is this paragraph:

ALISON LECLAIRE CHRISTIE (Canada) said that her delegation had taken note of the request made by the Palestinian delegation, during the last session, to defer consideration of a resolution on the Goldstone Report until the next regular session in March 2010. The lead co-sponsors had believed that this would allow for more time for broad-based and comprehensive consideration of the report. Canada was very concerned that this Special Session had been called so soon after this assessment had been made. The Council’s credibility depended on its preparedness to confront violations of human rights and Canada strongly supported the use of a Special Session to address grave violations of human rights wherever and whenever they occurred but was concerned at the continued and unbalanced attention given by the Council to Middle East issues. This Special Session was considered by Canada as a very poor precedent for the Council which undermined its integrity.

Here are the voting results which should highlight the integrity of the UN Human Rights Council.

In favour (25): Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, and Zambia.

Against (6): Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Slovakia, Ukraine, and United States of America.

Abstentions (11): Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gabon, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Republic of Korea, Slovenia, and Uruguay.

It’s not something you’d find on the pages of the Star or headlining The National but its worth a headline here.

I almost thought better of it, but I had to ask: “Have you ever been to Israel, Tom?�

“Yes!� he said, beaming. “It is my country. It is beautiful. I have family there. The first time I went to Israel, after the 1967 war, I was afraid the Jews might eat my flesh. But they were so nice to me in Haifa. They welcomed me into their homes even though I am Palestinian. We hated them, you know, after all that had happened. But I was welcome as a Palestinian. The Jews are good people. Like you.�

Of course, saying something like that is going to make him a target.

Tom is a 60 year old Palestinian who lives in Jordan, and his real name isn’t Tom. He, like all the other interpreters I’ve met in Iraq, goes by an American name to conceal his identity. There is a chance he could be hunted down by terrorists and murdered in Jordan if he could be traced.

Read the whole thing. [via]

Check out this line by CNN reporter Cal Perry, from a propaganda piece with Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal.

Why he agreed to talk to CNN at this moment remains a mystery to me.

Well let’s see. You buy everything he said hook, line and sinker.

I do have to say that this line shows the quality of writing we can expect these days.

We sipped coffee uneasily as we waited for Meshaal to emerge for an interview that was more than three years in the making. Suddenly and without warning, the Hamas leader appeared.

What do you mean “without warning”? Were you not waiting for him to emerge? Did you expect trumpets to blare and his security guards to start dancing?

Thanks CNN.

Jay Reding gives the Washington Post a lesson in Palestinian politics.

If Bush can be blamed for anything, it’s following the longstanding and always fruitless American assumption that there is a “Palestinian society� rather than a death cult who has taken on the trappings of a society.