Issue 267: UN Watch Meets Red Cross to Petition for Release of Shalit, Hold Hamas Accountable for Violating International Law

GENEVA, December 10, 2010 — As demonstrators worldwide today called for the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer visited with the International Committee of the Red Cross headquarters in Geneva to present a petition urging that Hamas abide by the minimal obligations of international humanitarian law.

Mr. Neuer, who met last week with Shalit’s father at his protest tent in Jerusalem, urged the Red Cross to speak out against the assault on international humanitarian law by Hamas and Hezbollah, highlighting their war crimes such as acts of terrorism, incitement to genocide, and embedding of rockets in civilian areas to maximize casualties.

The Geneva-based human rights group also urged the Red Cross to take action on the Wikileaks revelation that Iranian Red Crescent ambulances were used in Lebanon to smuggle weapons.

The petition was signed by 175 delegates from 26 nations who gathered recently at the 4th B’nai B’rith Europe Young Jewish Adult Forum in Zurich, in which Neuer was the keynote speaker.

More UN Watch Action for Rights in China

Separately, UN Watch today issued another statement by 38 NGOs urging the U.N. not to snub today’s Oslo Nobel ceremony for Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo. The statement also protested a massive U.N. photo exhibit that was displayed today, which UN Watch described as an outrageous propaganda vehicle designed to mask China’s abysmal record on human rights. German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur dedicated a full story to UN Watch’s appeal for action on China.

UN Watch