Friday, May 27, 2011

Sure, World Says Israeli Settlements Are Illegal--But What Do People Who Actually Know The Law Say?

I don't know, but how common is it for 60 lawyers to agree on somthing?

But those lawyers do agree that the Israeli settlements are legal:
An international group of some 60 attorneys, including former Foreign Ministry legal adviser Alan Baker, has appealed to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to prevent a General Assembly resolution on unilateral Palestinian statehood, based on the pre-1967 lines.


In a letter dated Wednesday, the attorneys noted that such a resolution would be a violation of all past agreements between Israel and the Palestinians. They added that it would also contravene UN resolutions 242 and 338.

According to the attorneys, the legal basis for the establishment of the state by the League of Nations in 1922 affirmed its presence on territories that included Judea, Samaria, and what is now east Jerusalem.

“This was subsequently affirmed by both houses of US Congress,” the attorneys stated.

According to Article 80 of the UN Charter, the attorneys said, rights granted to all states or people by already existing international instruments – including those adopted by the League of Nations – remain valid.

As a result, the attorneys said, the “650,000 Jews [who] presently reside in the areas of Judea and Samaria and eastern Jerusalem, reside there legitimately.”

...The Olso Accords did not limit settlement activity, they added.[emphasis added]
I know that those who are convinced that those settlements are illegal are not going to be swayed by what 60 international lawyers say--but I think they should know there are those that know the law who do not agree with them.

Come to think of it, have you ever noticed that those who scream the loudest that Israeli settlements are illegal according to international law--are the ones who know the least about international law?

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lets not forget the millions Palestinian refugees which cannot return to their homeland in Israel.
What about them, does Article 80 of the UN Charter apply to them, or is only for Gods Chosen People

Hanoch said...

Dear anonymous, there are only approximately 200 thousands Pal refugees left. The rest are their descendants. You want to count descendants? All the Jews in the world are descendants of the Jewish refugees from ancient Israel which was destroyed by the Romans. We, the Jews, are more numerous refugees and we have a better and older title to the Land. We actually had a sovereign country Israel with Jerusalem as it's capital thousands of years ago, As for "palestinians" there was never a country called Palestine. Jerusalem was never a capital of any country but Israel.