Human Rights Defenders Have It Tough in the Mideast
Posted on Mar 21, 2009
 |
| secint50.un.org |
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Salim el-Hoss speaks at the opening of the United Nations General Assembly in 1999.
|
By Robert Fisk
Editor’s note: This article was originally printed in The Independent.
Dr Salim el-Hoss is 80 now but remains a staunch defender of human rights and democracy, an opponent of the death penalty and an outspoken supporter of Palestinians. He finds it difficult to climb the steps to airliners, he confessed to me on our way back from Qatar this week, but reads as voraciously as ever. When I recommended to him a long article on American torture, he read it right through to the end and then put the paper down with a slap on his knee. “Terrible, terrible,” he muttered.
El-Hoss was Lebanese prime minister when General Michel Aoun thought he was president in 1990 – when Aoun waged a “war of independence” against Syria – and no one (except for Aoun who is now Syria’s best Christian friend in Lebanon) has forgotten the results. Some of Aoun’s shells fell suspiciously close to el-Hoss’s home in the Aisha Bakkar district of Beirut. Aoun once told me that el-Hoss was Judas Iscariot because the Syrians supported the el-Hoss government. When I suggested in an article that Aoun therefore regarded himself as Jesus Christ, the little general tried to “ban” me from Christian east Beirut.
This summer, Aoun will be standing as an ally of Hizbollah (and the Syrians) in Lebanon’s elections and there are many of his Christian and Muslim opponents who are hoping he will be electorally nailed to the cross. I doubt it. Lebanese politicians, as I mentioned to el-Hoss, tend to live for a long time if they don’t get assassinated. Being Lebanese, el-Hoss smiled broadly at this remark and agreed that it bore the merit of truth.
We had both been attending al-Jazeera’s birthday bash in Qatar where the Gaza war – and, more to the point, news coverage of the Gaza war – was the focus of almost all debate. I had my say, in which I repeated my belief that journalists must be neutral and unbiased on the side of those who suffer. There was much al-Jazeera back-scratching, its reporters pointing out – correctly – that their station alone, in Arabic and in English, covered the bloodbath from inside Gaza. But there was a bit too much bellyaching about the international press. Why wasn’t there a single Western reporter based in Gaza, one of al-Jazeera’s top reporters asked? Because it was only when the story became visually exciting that foreign journalists wanted to go to Gaza – and were then banned by the Israelis.
I found this a bit much. There was never any great demand by reporters to live in Gaza. But the BBC opened an office there and its full-time correspondent was then kidnapped and held hostage for months, released only when Hamas took control of Gaza and freed him (a fact that is no longer mentioned by the BBC). A Fox News camera crew was also abducted in Gaza. Journalists continued to go there – our own intrepid Donald Macintyre among them – but it’s not difficult to see why news editors are a bit chary of opening an office in the Gaza Strip. Insurers won’t buy into that one. Indeed, Beirut’s status as an international news centre never recovered from the rage of kidnapping from which journalists suffered in the late 1980s; even today, as one of the safest cities in the Middle East – from a Westerner’s point of view – it remains a backwater of journalism.
So, I suppose, is much of the Gulf. Dubai was always supposed to flourish as a gold-mine of reporting – everything in the emirate was either the longest, deepest or tallest in the world – and I always wondered what would bring it crashing to the ground. Foreign invasion? A massive earthquake?
I never guessed that a global recession would bring it toppling down in billions of debt. Qatar, home to al-Jazeera, seems to have weathered the storm – so far. It is about to become the world’s biggest producer and exporter of liquid natural gas and its airline is about to start direct flights from Doha to Houston, two of the world’s energy capitals. Qatar Airways has more than 200 new aircraft on order (about $40bn worth) which puts Lebanon – virtually secure because its banks didn’t trade in sub-prime loans – in the shade.
But still I prefer to believe in countries which have a long history. Lebanon’s story goes back to antiquity. So does Syria’s and Iraq’s. And Iran’s. And Israel/Palestine’s for that matter. But the Gulf? No one can dispute the importance of Mecca and Medina. But I’m still waiting for a serious explanation as to why non-Muslims cannot go there. Imagine the fuss if we banned Muslims from Canterbury Cathedral or St Peter’s in Rome. Just a thought – I’ve been trying to find a place for that one for years.
But back to my Qatar Airways flight to Beirut with Dr el-Hoss. I told him I always admired him for refusing to sign the death sentences on two condemned men. He smiled faintly and pointed out to me that as soon as Rafiq Hariri became prime minister – yes, the same supposedly saintly Hariri who was cruelly murdered in Beirut just over four years ago – Hariri signed the death sentences and the two men were hanged. Word has it that even then, the executioners messed up their work and at least one of the two had to be throttled to death by policemen who pulled on his legs. Did they ever, in their brief extension of life, thank the prime minister who tried to save them? “They didn’t have time,” Dr el-Hoss replied. Defenders of human rights have a tough time in the Middle East.
Get truth delivered to
your inbox every week.
Previous item: What Is the Point of NATO?
Next item: Obama's Fight Against the Politics of Evasion
Elsewhere: .
Comments
Are you a Truthdig member yet? Login now, or register with Truthdig.
Refuse Allegiance to Coal
Email
Print
Share
BlinkList
del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Fark
Furl
Google
LinkedIn
Mixx
MySpace
NewsVine
NewsTrust
Propeller
Reddit
SphereIt
StumbleUpon
Technorati
TwitThis
YahooMyWeb
YahooBuzz
By Fadel Abdallah, March 24 at 8:00 pm #
And what about human rights defenders having it tough in America, Britain and Israel, just to mention few mostly bragged about bastions of democracy?!
For eight years under Bush and Blair and their other cohorts in the so-called civilized West and Israel, the basic human rights violations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine and, yes, in America and Britain, were a continued way of life for millions of people, women men and children, all under the guise of “war against terrorism.”
Though under the-little-bit-better Obama, we have heard a lot of rhetoric about improving the terrible record of human rights violations, much is still to be done in terms of concrete steps! Now the slogan of being obsessed and busy with “war on terror” has been replaced by the slogan of “fixing the ruined economy” while very old human rights violations are brushed aside or put permanently on the back burner!
I wish I have the time to document human rights violation in such bragging countries; then, I am sure, the list will make a multi-volume compilation!
Report thisBy Northerner, March 23 at 8:14 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
brewerstroupe @ 7:11 PM, I’ve noticed the same thing regarding Fisk’s increasing lack of focus over the last year or so. I don’t know if he’s tired, getting old, not being properly edited anymore, drugged by Mossad (hey, anything’s possible), etc. Too bad. When he’s sharp he’s very good.
Report thisBy TAO Walker, March 23 at 6:34 pm #
“Human rights,” unfortunately, is only make-believe. It is useful, however, as a cruel hoax designed to keep captive “individual” Humans from remembering that the “key” to ending their instutionalized oppression is in fulfilling, all together, their organic Human RESPONSIBILITIES.
“Democracy” operates in pretty much the same fashion, to the same purposes. Hooked-on the illusory “autonomy” of their “self,” it is going to be painfully difficult for domesticated people to even admit how easily (and for what a pitiful mess of “potage”) they’ve been “had”....nevermind overcoming ten thousand years of programming aimed-at their permanent atomization.
Even major overhauls of the machinery of their captivity will never accomplish anything beyond making it temporarily less onerous….and these days nothing but pro forma tinkering “at-the-margins” is going to be allowed by its owner/operators, anyhow. It’s altogether FREE, or more-or-less domesticated, Sisters and Brothers. You cannot enjoy the natural benefits of your Whole Humanity and keep your false “comforts” and crippling CONveniences, too.
Shuck-off the clown-suit of your “individual”-ity to find the genuine essence of Human Persons in Living Community that is our Natural FORM. Then watch our tormentors and their two-legged tools beg for the mercy they’ve never shown any of US.
HokaHey!
Report thisBy Folktruther, March 23 at 11:28 am #
Israel has finally come out openly and stated that the Israeli state is at war with the Palestinian people. The issue was preventing married Palestinians from joining their spouse in Israel. In the legal arguments before the Israeli Supreme Court to keep married Palestinians separated, the Ministry of Justice lawyers stated openly, for the first time:
The state of Israel is at war with the Palestinian people, people against people, collective againat collective.
So Uri Averny reports today in a article on Counterpunch.
This war against Palestinians has been the case from Israel’s founding of course, but it has never been stated explicitly officially. Stealing Palestian land, homes, businesses, resources etc has also been disguised by media emphasis of the “Peace Process.”
Zionists like Sepharad, Inherit and Howard are all for Peace, just ask them. In the meantime they support the Israeli atrocities which they label Defense. In the American and Israeli mainstream truth it is the Palestinians who are attacking and oppressing the Israelis.
It is necessary to isolate Israel and to arm the Palestinians so they have a defense against Israeli tanks, planes and missiles. They are increasingly, and incrasingly open, about their bent for the destruction of the Palestinian people, including Israeli citizens. And increasingly likely to use nuclear weapons. They have open contempt for world opinion because, as Inherit and Sepharad continue to repeat, the whole world is anti-Semitic and hates Jews. Including myself and the other anti-Zionist TD truthers.
Consequently American Zionists who do not suffer the effects of these policies, will support Israeli atrocities no matter what they do. And the Israaeli Lobby will continue to hijack American policy to support Ziofascism against the interests of the American people. Zionist identify with Israel First, with The Homeland, as Inherit calls it. And Zionists now control or strongly influence both parties.
Report thisBy cyrena, March 22 at 10:27 pm #
“I have long suspected that this was a false flag deal. The fundaloony statements issued by the kidnappers and the forced conversion to Islam (something none but the most deranged Muslim would condone or accept) leave but two options - “Holy Jihad Brigade” is either a deranged fanatical group totally out of sync with mainstream Palestinian thought or a covert Israeli operation. Factors indicating the latter are purely circumstantial but persuasive in my view.”
Brewerstroupe…I’ve MISSED YOU!!! So glad to hear from you.
Yes, I believe that you are so correct about this, circumstantial or not. (circumstantial works fine…truth is truth). It IS totally out of sync with mainstream Palestinian thought or mindset, and I’m sick and damn tired of all the lies from Israel, as if we could continue to be fooled after all of this time.
But, many are…mostly because they wanna be.
Report thisBy brewerstroupe, March 22 at 7:11 pm #
Another odd piece from Fiske - so disjointed that I am not sure that my comment is actually on topic. Nevertheless, here is what this article brings to my mind.
“A Fox News camera crew was also abducted in Gaza. “
This was the Wigg/Steve Centanni incident purportedly perpetrated by the “Holy Jihad Brigade”.
I have long suspected that this was a false flag deal. The fundaloony statements issued by the kidnappers and the forced conversion to Islam (something none but the most deranged Muslim would condone or accept) leave but two options - “Holy Jihad Brigade” is either a deranged fanatical group totally out of sync with mainstream Palestinian thought or a covert Israeli operation. Factors indicating the latter are purely circumstantial but persuasive in my view.
In the first place, Hamas has encouraged and protected journalists in Gaza (it was they who secured Alan Johnston’s release). Hamas rule Gaza and minor, fringe groups disobey their edicts at their peril. It is Israel who makes efforts to keep them out.
“Holy Jihad Brigade” came out of nowhere, carried out this one operation then disappeared, never to be heard of again. This is most unusual. Their rhetoric appears designed to press Western Islamophobic fear buttons - none mentions resistance to occupation or indigenous land rights which we know is the main concern of Palestinians.
Perhaps Fiske has inadvertently drawn our attention to something here:
“it’s not difficult to see why news editors are a bit chary of opening an office in the Gaza Strip. Insurers won’t buy into that one”
Israel did not want reporters in Gaza during the latest atrocity. Perhaps operation “Holy Jihad” was precursor to “Operation Cast Lead”?.
Report thisBy cyrena, March 22 at 6:48 pm #
Fadel,
I’ve been keeping a count, but I’m not a truthdig journalist.
Report thisBy geronimo, March 22 at 5:52 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Gaza, Vietnam,Iraq, Afghanistan And The Warsaw Ghetto
same place
different times
as the world stood by
genocide
live
Report thisBy RIZIK, March 22 at 3:44 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
A Petition Calling for Compensation of Victims of Sexual Violence in Eastern DR Congo.
Report thisThe petition urges the International Community especially the United States, United Kingdom, France, Belgium, German, UN General Secretary, the UN Security Council members, European Union and African Union to pressure the Congolese Authorities to Compensate Victims of Sexual Violence in Eastern DRC. The petition can be signed at http://www.gopetition.com.au/online/26180.html
By Fadel Abdallah, March 22 at 11:11 am #
I expected an article on the Iraqi Holocaust on the occasion of its 6th anniversary. Instead, here one of the most experienced and informed journalist on the Middle East wasting his and our time talking about his personal experiences and feelings, and marginally talking about human rights, as if the human rights issue was much better in Britain or the US! Or do you think, Mr. Robert Fisk, that the Iraqi Holocaust ceased to be a human rights issue worthy of being talked about anymore?!
Yes, yesterday marked the 6th anniversary of the American-led “axis of evil” terrorist attack on Iraq, which continues as I write, making it longer than WWII. I was hoping that Truthdig or some known journalist will post a thread related to this topic. However, since the Iraqi Holocaust is an inconvenient truth that criminal political-military America, Britain and Australia would wish to forget, someone needs to remind us all about all the blood we have on our hands! Most of us, never even cared about keeping a count of the Iraqi victims, but some conscientious one did, and here is the account!
=================================================
Iraqi Holocaust: 2.3 Million Iraqi Excess Deaths
By Gideon Polya
http://www.countercurrents.org/polya210309.htm
“March 20, 2009 marks the 6th anniversary of the illegal, utterly unjustified, war criminal invasion of Iraq by US, UK and Australian forces. Post-invasion violent and non-violent excess deaths total 2.3 million and refugees total 6 million in a continuing Iraqi Holocaust and Genocide..”
Report this