U.S. Representative Ambassador Joseph M. Torsella for UN Management and Reform today said the world’s body is disturbed by Special Rapporteur Richard Falk’s shameful behavior.
“His shameful and outrageous behavior is an embarrassment to the United Nations.” – Mr. Torsella
Mr. Torsella emphasized that someone who publishes such vicious images has no place in the UN system.
“Mr. Falk has yet again created a distasteful sideshow that distracts from the cause of human rights. We reiterate our call for him to step down immediately.” – Mr. Torsella
Falk had claimed that Israeli policies in Jerusalem were a form of “ethnic cleansing” against the Palestinian population. He has urged the Human Rights Council to ask the International Court of Justice to probe Israel for acts of apartheid and ethnic cleansing.
In 1979, Falk was a professor of International Law at Princeton. During that time, he visited Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini at his home in exile in France, and later wrote an op-ed in the New York Times. He said Khomeini and his entourage were moderate and progressive. He also said the model for their popular revolution was “based, for the most part, on nonviolent tactics.” [emphasis added]
Last year, Falk issued a UN Special Rapporteur report, accusing Israel of practicing apartheid policies in the Palestinian territories:
“Among the salient apartheid features of the Israeli occupation are the following: preferential citizenship, visitation and residence laws and practices that prevent Palestinians who reside in the West Bank or Gaza from reclaiming their property or from acquiring Israeli citizenship, as contrasted to a Jewish right of return that entitles Jews anywhere in the world with no prior tie to Israel to visit, reside and become Israeli citizens; differential laws in the West Bank and East Jerusalem favouring Jewish settlers who are subject to Israeli civilian law and constitutional protection, as opposed to Palestinian residents, who are governed by military administration; dual and discriminatory arrangements for movement in the West Bank and to and from Jerusalem; discriminatory policies on land ownership, tenure and use; extensive burdening of Palestinian movement, including checkpoints applying differential limitations on Palestinians and on Israeli settlers, and onerous permit and identification requirements imposed only on Palestinians; punitive house demolitions, expulsions and restrictions on entry and exit from all three parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.” – August 10, 2010
Then, in 2011, speaking to the UN Human Rights Council, he said Israeli policies in Jerusalem amounted to “ethnic cleansing” against Palestinians. He repeated some of his 2010 accusations of aparteid. He wanted the Human Rights Council to ask the International Court of Justice to investigate Israel for “colonialism, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing inconsistent with international humanitarian law” during its occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Falk remained at the UN.
