CMEP Bulletin: Politicians Argue Over Report. Gazan’s Live the Reality.
US Boycotts UN Discussion on Israeli Human Rights Abuses [The Times of Israel]
Journalists at the Times of Israel write, “Amid threats from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to withdraw entirely from the United Nations Human Rights Council, the State Department announced it would boycott the council’s entire Monday discussion about alleged human rights abuses committed by Israel and vote against any resolutions that came from it. ‘The United States strongly and unequivocally opposes the existence of the UN Human Rights Council’s Agenda Item Seven: “Human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories,”’ acting spokesperson Mark Toner said in a statement.”
Senior U.N. Official Quits After ‘Apartheid’ Israel Report Pulled [Reuters]
Reuters reports, “A senior U.N. official resigned on Friday over the withdrawal of a report accusing Israel of imposing an ‘apartheid regime’ on Palestinians, saying ‘powerful member states’ pressured the world body and its chief with ‘vicious attacks and threats.’ Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), which comprises 18 Arab states, published the report on Wednesday and said it was the first time a U.N. body had clearly charged that Israel ‘has established an apartheid regime that dominates the Palestinian people as a whole.’” Click here to read the executive summary and here to read the full report.
Opinion We, the Women of Gaza, Face a Concrete Ceiling [Haaretz]
Noor Swirki, corresponding journalist for Haaretz writes, “We, the women of Gaza, are in particular affected by the violation of our rights to freedom of movement. We struggle, often successfully, to break through the confines of this system. However, when we manage to do so, we encounter a much greater and more sinister obstacle, at the northern gates of Gaza. After breaking through the glass ceiling, we encounter a much thicker and more oppressive one – this one made of concrete.” Click here to read a report by Gisha titled “The Concrete Ceiling: Women in Gaza on the Impact of the Closure on Women in the Workforce.”
Senate Confirms Trump’s Choice for US Ambassador to Israel [The Associated Press]
According to the Associated Press, “The Republican-led Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick to be U.S. ambassador to Israel, ignoring objections from Democrats that David Friedman lacked the temperament for such an important diplomatic post. Senators voted Thursday largely along party lines, 52-46, to approve Friedman’s nomination.”