UN Human Rights Director resigns, accuses UN of failing to prevent ‘Genocide’ in Gaza
Craig Mokhiber, the director of the New York office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has resigned from his post, accusing the United Nations of "failing" to prevent what he categorizes as genocide of Palestinian civilians in Gaza under Israeli bombardment.
In his resignation letter sent to the UN High Commissioner in Geneva, Volker Turk, Mokhiber cited the US, UK, and much of Europe as "wholly complicit in the horrific assault" and claimed that the UN had become "powerless to stop it."
Mokhiber, who was stepping down due to reaching retirement age, criticized the UN for its failure to prevent previous genocides, including those against the Tutsis in Rwanda, Muslims in Bosnia, the Yazidi in Iraqi Kurdistan, and the Rohingya in Myanmar. He stated that the current situation in Gaza, where Palestinian people are being systematically persecuted, amounts to a "textbook case of genocide" and condemned the international community for refusing to meet their obligations under the Geneva Conventions. He accused the US, UK, and many European countries of arming Israel's assault and providing political and diplomatic cover for it.
In his resignation letter, Mokhiber called for the effective end to the state of Israel, proposing the establishment of a single, democratic secular state in all of historic Palestine with equal rights for Christians, Muslims, and Jews. He also advocated for the dismantling of the "deeply racist, settler-colonial project" and an end to apartheid in the region.
“The current wholesale slaughter of the Palestinian people, rooted in an ethno-nationalist colonial settler ideology, in continuation of decades of their systematic persecution and purging, based entirely upon their status as Arabs … leaves no room for doubt.” He added in his letter.
“We must support the establishment of a single, democratic secular state in all of historic Palestine, with equal rights for Christians, Muslims, and Jews,” he wrote, adding: “and, therefore, the dismantling of the deeply racist, settler-colonial project and an end to apartheid across the land.”
Mokhiber, who has worked for the UN since 1992, has been a prominent figure in the organization, leading initiatives related to human rights-based approaches to development and serving as a senior human rights adviser in conflict zones such as Palestine, Afghanistan, and Sudan. His departure from the UN's New York office has sparked mixed reactions.
Louis Charbonneau, the UN director at Human Rights Watch, praised Mokhiber's stance, highlighting his powerful argument against double standards in the UN's approach to Israel and Palestine. Charbonneau emphasized the urgent need for the UN to rectify its human rights stance in the region.
“You don’t have to agree with everything in the letter to see that he’s made a powerful and depressing case that the UN lost its way on human rights when it comes to Israel and Palestine, partly due to pressure from the US, Israel and other governments. It’s not too late to turn the UN ship around, but they need to do it quickly.” Louis added.
However, Anne Bayefsky, director of Touro College’s Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust in New York, accused Mokhiber of "overt antisemitism," claiming that he used a UN letterhead to call for "wiping Israel off the map."
Mokhiber's outspoken resignation has stirred debates about the UN's role in the Israel-Palestine conflict and its commitment to upholding human rights standards in the face of political pressure from influential member states.
The Director of the UN's New York office just resigned after thirty years at the organisation over the UN's handling of the ongoing genocide of Palestinians.
— ✍️🏿ayan (@artan_ayan) October 31, 2023
The entirety of his resignation letter is a necessary read but this first page blew me away. pic.twitter.com/3y9NwgIofP
The #genocide we are witnessing in #Palestine is the product of decades of Israeli #impunity provided by the US & other western governments & decades of #dehumanization of the Palestinian people by western corporate media. Both must end now. Speak up for #HumanRights
— Craig Mokhiber (@CraigMokhiber) October 30, 2023
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Tomato prices in Karnataka may hit Rs 85/kg if rains persist in North India, warn traders
Kolar: Tomato prices in Karnataka are likely to surge, with retail rates potentially touching Rs 85 per kg if heavy rains continue to batter Maharashtra and other northern states over the coming days, posing a fresh burden on households that rely on the staple ingredient.
On Sunday, a 15-kg crate of tomatoes at the Kolar APMC market, which is the second-biggest market in Asia, was sold for Rs 750, a sharp increase from Rs 250–Rs 350 just three days ago, The New Indian Express reported.
Traders have warned that if weather conditions do not improve by next week, retail prices of tomatoes would touch Rs 85 per kg in Karnataka.
Kiran, secretary of the APMC market, said that continuous rainfall in Maharashtra, a major tomato-producing state, has disrupted supply to states such as Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Haryana, and Tamil Nadu.
CMR Srinath, a tomato farmer and merchant at the APMC market, also added that heavy rain has affected the tomato crop in large areas of Maharashtra. “If showers continue in the neighbouring state for another week, the prices at the Kolar APMC market would touch Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 per crate,” TNIE quoted him as saying.
This disruption has significantly increased the demand for tomatoes from Karnataka, especially from the Kolar region.
“Over 200 vehicles carrying over 2,500 tonnes of the fruit left from the APMC market on Sunday to different destinations,” TNIE quoted Kiran as saying.
Despite the high demand, local supply remains limited, as many farmers in Kolar had reportedly avoided cultivating tomatoes due to poor prices over the last four months.
