An American writer criticized the apparent contradiction in the United States’ positions toward human rights, especially in the Middle East, where Israel’s devastating war on the Gaza Strip has been continuing for 68 days.
This came in an article on the Intercept website by journalist John Schwartz, commenting on information leaked about a secret meeting last week, in which US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken hosted leaders of international human rights organizations on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations’ adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The writer said that the US State Department arranged this meeting to “record and publish” Blinken’s praise of human rights, while the world was not able to hear the opinions of human rights defenders, who criticized American support for the war waged by Israel on the Gaza Strip.
The article described the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a “milestone” in history. Although it was merely a statement of principles, and did not have the force of law in itself, it was generally “inspirational” as if it were the foundation on which many subsequent treaties and laws were built.
The Guinness Book of World Records states that the declaration has been translated into more than 550 languages, ranging from Abkhazian to Zulu in South Africa, more than any other document.
Schwartz stated that the Internet “exploded in bitter laughter” at Blinken after the “secret” meeting held at the US State Department headquarters on December 7.
It is easy to understand why, according to the Intercept article, which revealed that the US Secretary of State told the meeting that “the universality of human rights is facing a severe challenge, and is being violated in too many places… where, of course, we see atrocities in the midst of conflicts.”
Stark contradiction
Commenting on this statement, the writer said that what Blinken said was true, but he added, adding that one day after the meeting – specifically on December 8 – the United States used its veto against a resolution in the UN Security Council calling for… Ceasefire in the Israeli war on Gaza.
In a hint of the contradiction in the positions of the United States, Schwartz pointed out that the US State Department did not celebrate the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, while the Russian government celebrated it in its own way, expressing its deep concern about the human rights situation in Ukraine.
In fact – according to the article – the entire process on Blinken’s part was “abhorrently funny.”
Four human rights organizations participated in the meeting: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Freedom House, based in the United States.
The strange thing is
When Kenneth Roth, former director of Human Rights Watch, was asked about his own experiences in such situations, he said, “There is nothing wrong in itself in holding a secret meeting with government officials… But what is strange is that the administration of President Joe Biden is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” By holding an informal secret meeting.
For her part, Amnesty International’s National Director for Government Relations and Advocacy, Amanda Clasing, cited what Secretary-General Agnès Callamard said at the meeting. Blinken urged that, seizing the current juncture, the United States send a message that human rights apply to non-allies and its closest friends alike.
Callamard explained that this issue has become particularly urgent today, as Amnesty International documented Israel – the closest ally of the United States – blatantly violating international humanitarian law during its aggression against Gaza. She called on Blinken to consider the necessity of working towards an immediate ceasefire, and to stop sending and selling weapons to the Israeli government “in the current context.”
Demand accountability
In turn, the Committee to Protect Journalists confirmed that more than 60 journalists (the vast majority of them Palestinians) were martyred, stressing that conditions in Gaza are becoming more difficult, and that there are restrictions on the press and arrests that include the West Bank as well. It reiterated its strong demand that those responsible for targeting journalists in southern Lebanon be held accountable as well.
The Intercept article quoted Kenneth Roth as saying that the most effective way to celebrate the Universal Declaration is to implement it clearly in the Middle East region, “which has largely become a human rights black hole for the Biden administration.”
Schwartz concluded his article by noting that the secret meeting was held at the State Department headquarters in the reception room of Thomas Jefferson, the first Secretary of State of the United States and the main author of the Declaration of Independence.
The author of the article criticized hosting the meeting in that room. This is because Jefferson “enslaved 600 people in his lifetime, and raped his deceased wife’s sister. Therefore, he represents perhaps the greatest model for America in our history, which is characterized by resonant speeches in a bleaker reality,” as he put it.