Israel crying foul over UN statements to shield its crimes: Pundit

Press TV has conducted an interview with Richard Silverstein, a journalist and political commentator from Seattle, to discuss the recent comments by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon criticizing Israel over its plans to construct new illegal settlement units in occupied Palestinian territories.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Iran’s ambassador to the UN had made some interesting comments not the first time this time addressing once again the UN Security Council. What will it take that making these comments and others also making these comments will actually turn in some type of action against Israel in order to stop it from continuing committing these crimes against Palestinians?

Silverstein: Well, that is the USD 64,000 question. What it will take to get Israel to change its policies? It is going to take a much more active role by the UN. It is going to take change in US foreign policy. It is going to take much more courage on the part of the European Union which has been very quiet and very ineffective in trying to block Israeli actions but I do have one hopeful note for your viewers and that is that Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, said today that Israel's continuing theft of Palestinian lands by confiscating them and turning into … lands and then putting settlements on them were provocative acts. Those were his words. And the Israeli prime minister shot back in anger that that kind of statement from the UN was encouraging terrorism and I do think that this is a very long process but the kinds of ridiculous, exaggerated responses from Prime Minister Netanyahu to really quite moderate statements from the UN secretary general really show the desperation of Israel and show the exaggeration and distortion that it will use in order to try to shield its actions from scrutiny. So, I am hopeful in the long run but I am pessimistic in the short run.

Press TV: What do you make of the UN secretary general's comments? Is it sincere because usually a lot of times we do not even hear the comments coming out of the UN? Do you think that it is showing some type of transition by the international body?

Silverstein: Well, I do not think … it will. I think it is going to take a really broad sweeping movement across the world to do this. I am encouraged by for example a group of 700 doctors started in the UK and other doctors from 43 countries who have called on the World Medical Association to remove the new president of the World Medical Association who is the president for the Israeli medical association for his approval of torture against Palestinians. So, this kind of movement by doctors, the BDS movement and a whole sweeping set of actions by NGOs and human rights organizations pressuring governments, pressuring bodies like the UN eventually that is what will lead to change.  

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