– Last year was the first year in my 25 years as a human rights defender that my organization found nothing to celebrate. The situation is the same today. So says journalist and leader of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, Hossam Bahgat, on the UN’s 79th birthday. He is worried about what the UN’s lack of ability to create peace in the Gaza Strip is doing to young people’s views on diplomacy and human rights. Hossam Bahgat is the head of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights. Photo: Johanna Hauge / news USA’s relaxation of human rights Every year the USA assesses the state of human rights in all countries of the world. The result can affect what support they give. This year, on the other hand, the US chose to slightly relax the demand for human rights conditions in Egypt, based on US security interests and the role Egypt has played in the war between Israel and Hamas. Egypt, a country with limited freedom of expression, received 1.3 billion dollars in military aid from the United States. EGYPT, USA AND ISRAEL: Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, US President Jimmy Carter and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin signed a peace agreement in 1979, in which Egypt and Israel recognized each other and economic agreements were concluded. Photo: Archive / AFP – Western countries that used to put pressure on Egypt’s human rights situation are now either busy with the war, or they prioritize cooperating with the Egyptian regime to prevent migration to Europe. This is what human rights advocate Hossam Bahgat says to news. According to him, Egypt has experienced a deterioration in human rights after the war on the Gaza Strip broke out. – In addition, Egypt is in a deep economic crisis, and cannot afford to have its own foreign policy, says Bahgat. – The government has therefore agreed to Israel’s demands in the war, he says, and points out that Israel has taken control of the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to control the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt even after the war is over. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg / Reuters Egypt has participated in Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip since 2007, and during the war has let Israel control what and who is allowed to cross the Egyptian border. The strict control has led to an entirely limited amount of emergency aid being released to the Palestinians, and no international journalists are allowed to enter. – The world’s highest court is ignored – I am unsure whether the international norms and the system we have built up to protect people will survive this shock when, for example, the world’s highest court is ignored, says Bahgat. He points to several incidents from the past year. Israel’s attack on the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, the UN Court’s assessment that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank is illegal, the exclusion of the UN Secretary General from Israel and Israel’s decision to put UNRWA on the terrorist list. At the same time, the war on the Gaza Strip continued. – In the worst case, it can lead to a wave of violence if you believe that the only way to stop abuse of power is by resorting to weapons, says Bahgat. Displaced Palestinians must once again flee from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. The picture was taken on the run from Jabalia in the north, 23 October. Photo: AFP Foreign Minister Eide acknowledges that the system is not perfect. – It is not the case that the UN Court’s rulings automatically lead to the use of force against those who commit crimes against international law. That job lies with the Security Council, and in some cases with the General Assembly. This is not perfect. Russia uses the right of veto in the war against Ukraine, and the United States, Israel’s close ally, in the war on the Gaza Strip. – But the fact that you establish what is legal, right and wrong, I think is important, says Eide in Nyhetsmorgen on Thursday. Duplicity in the UN – There is a whole generation of young people whose world view is shaped by the UN’s duplicity right now, says Bahgat. He brings up Israel’s attack against Unifil in southern Lebanon as an example of a member state working against the UN’s mission. – On the one hand, the UN Security Council has established the peacekeeping forces in Lebanon. On the other hand, the UN fails to ensure that the forces are protected against attacks from Israel. In 2015, journalist and human rights activist Hossam Bahgat was charged with having published “fake news that harms national interests” in Egypt. The following year he received a travel ban, which lasted until March 2024. Photo: Mohamed Elraai / Ap – I want to applaud all UN workers Bahgat says that Egyptian human rights organizations look back on the last year with shame and despair on this year’s UN Day. Although he does not want to give any praise to the member countries that make up the UN, he would like to use the opportunity to shine a spotlight on the organs of the UN that work for peace. Unicef, Unifil in Lebanon, the UN Secretary-General, UNRWA and UN experts. – I think we owe it to all humanitarian workers who have been killed in the war on the Gaza Strip to honor them. I want to applaud all UN workers out there who are still fighting for peace, and resisting everyone who works against them, says Bahgat. Published 24.10.2024, at 18.55 Updated 24.10.2024, at 19.52
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– In the worst case, it could lead to a wave of violence – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
