Palestinian representative Mohammad Abu-Koash compared Israelis to racist Nazi murderers during a UN Human Rights Council debate last Wednesday, December 12, 2007. The 47-nation council was debating a report by Martin Scheinin, the UN expert on human rights and counter-terrorism, that had criticized Israel. Below is a video of selected quotes, followed by the full transcript.
Thank you, Mr. Scheinin, for your valuable report, which asks Israel to abide by international law in its policies and practices towards the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Bombarding Palestinian residents and headquarters, committing the massacres of Jenin and Beit Hanoun, using Palestinian children as human shields, torturing detainees, preventing pregnant women from reaching hospitals, the apartheid wall, the colonial settlements, and the very continuation of the occupation of Palestine and Syrian and Lebanese territories constitute a flagrant violation of international law.
It is most regrettable that Israel has decided to expand the settlements on Palestinian mounts and launch attacks against the occupied Gaza, thereby deflating the optimism generating by the Annapolis conference. It is clear that Israel is resorting to all tricks in the lexicon of foreign occupiers to prevent the establishment of a sovereign, independent and contiguous Palestinian state on the territory occupied in 1967 including East Jerusalem, the Palestinian capital.
The Israeli crippling geography has been countered by the Palestinian crawling demography, as the victims of Arian purity have been transformed into the proponents of Jewish purity. … Likewise, we have the right to enjoy our olive trees, carnations, and the ancient passages leading to the holy site of the Dome of the Rock and the Holy Sepulchre that stand out as a grand testimony negating the Israeli claim to the holy town of Jerusalem.
It is December, and both the Eid and Christmas are approaching. Spare a minute of your prayers and deliberations for occupied Jerusalem, sad Bethlehem, besieged Gaza and Palestinian children traumatized by tyrants. Noah’s Ark had no tyrants — it had those who found grace in the eyes of God.
Now I will resort to poetry to deliver my message clearly to the ambassador of Israel:
Mr. Jail Man, don’t you understand?
Scars of concentration camps mark your hand.
Negotiations commenced today, I understand.
Leave our mountains, valleys, seas, air and lands.
Draw your lessons from France and Deutschland.
Our will is strong, seize a drawing line in the sand.
Washington, Mandela or Arafat stand so grand.
Though called terrorists by occupiers and command.
Mr. Jail Man, you don’t want to understand.
You gave occupation, and you alter it with Semitic brand.
Palestine (replying to Israel):
I would like to remind the distinguished member of Israel that the problem is not with any delegation. The problem is that there are the occupiers of Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese territories. My statement is very clear: I would like to remind the distinguished representative of Israel and tell also a poem if he likes poetry:
You made subjugation and occupation your motto.
You remember, we Palestinians like our brothers in South Africa; we will overcome, like those in Soweto.
We can also add that those who suffered in Europe, those who came from concentration camps, from the ghettos, they should not acts as our masters, they should know the meanings of suffering, they should live and let live, and as I said draw your lessons from France or Deutschland, I was referring to the peaceful solution, to the compromise which is based on the withdrawal of Israel from all the Arab territories. Then and only then you will be treating us as equals.
To see the full video of both speeches, click here for the first, and then here for the second.
