Inner City Press -- Investigative Reporting From the Inner City to Wall Street to the United Nations

In Other Media-eg Nigeria, Zim, Georgia, Nepal, Somalia, Azerbaijan, Gambia Click here to contact us     .

With Gaza Still Shelled, UN General Assembly Meets, Egypt Keeps Out Doctors, Fatah Complains of Cash, UN Takes Sides

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, January 16, updated -- As bombing of Gaza by Israel continues, and Egypt blocks even doctors from passing through its Rafah crossing to the Gaza Strip, the UN desire to make itself seem relevant continued to cause it to take or defend sides. While the UN's own IRIN news service reported on doctors from Greece and elsewhere being blocked at Rafah by Egyptian authorities, UN spokesperson Michele Montas interjected that five other doctors did get in. John Ging of UNRWA, asked by Inner City Press if his agency has raised to Egypt the closing of Rafah, said instead that Egypt has allowed UN staff to get in through the crossing. But what about allowing Gazans to get out?

   Also on Friday, the UN's humanitarian report on Gaza noted that the Palestinian Authority, largely chased from Gaza by Hamas, is unable to pay its staff who remain in Gaza due to lack of cash. Inner City Press asked Ging if this is a new development, in that Ging has previously reported that Hamas had gotten cash in, and pays it staff. "This is an update from the Palestinian Authority on their needs," Ging said. His report on Hamas having cash was based, he'd said, not on reports from Hamas itself, but from complaints from his staff.

While a ceasefire in Gaza was called likely and near by the UN's Ban Ki-moon and Tony Blair, journalists in Cairo and Gaza City laughed at the UN's performance on Internet radio, while a correspondent in Israel from New York local television was preempted by a non-deadly plane crash in the Hudson River. Click here, listen from Minute 47:17.

UN's Ban shakes mid-offensive with Ehud Barak

By video link from Gaza to New York, the UN's John Ging described Israel's shelling with white phosphorous of the UN's headquarters in Gaza City. It was the naked competition of news events in fragmented media space. Inner City Press questioned the reporters in Cairo and Gaza via Twitter, the same service the preempted television reporter used to comment from Israel about the plane floating off Manhattan in the Hudson River.

  After two days of speakers in the UN's basement, General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann pushed to pass a statement calling for an end of military action in Gaza. He adjourned the diplomats until 6:30 pm, then at 6:40 announced that the European Union had asked for another five minutes.

Update of 6:58 p.m. -- President d'Escoto returned, and turned immediately to formal reading, that Israel has asked for a vote and therefore he removes himself as sponsor. Ecuador took over sponsorship, reading an amendment in English.

Update of 7:05 p.m. -- Egypt's Ambassador protests d'Escoto given the floor to Ecuador before him. D'Escoto fires back, you don't know what you're talking about. Syria tries to paper it over, blaming it all on "the forces of darkness."

Update of 7:11 p.m. -- Representative of Czech Republic and EU sides with Egypt, while Syria went with Ecuador... So does Iran, recently selected to chair the board of UNDP. And here comes Venezuela -- guess who they'll support.  The Venezuelan Ambassador tells d'Escoto his name will go down in history. One wag asked, Who's next? Belarus and North Korea?

Update of 7:17 p.m. - Inner City Press has moved to the cheap seats in Conference Room 3. Guard has said, no juice allowed. Half of the headphones are not working. D'Escoto admonishes those talking in the back of the room to be polite and leave. Venezuela drones on about an amendment about UNICEF it had introduced.

Update of 7:25 p.m. - Riyad Mansour of the Palestinian Authority -- and, it must be said, Fatah -- is siding with Egypt, in favor of the compromise with the European Union. "On behalf of the Palestinian people, I appeal to you to united behind this text [and] to isolate Israel," he says, calling for an immediate vote.

Update of 7:28 p.m. - D'Escoto says, okay, let's have an immediate vote. Egypt cuts in, saying he had "raised his flag" first, urges circulation of the EU compromise text.

Update of 7:37 p.m. -- in debate about which draft to vote on first, Egypt's Ambassador tips his hat to the "beautiful lady" from Ecuador. In the gallery, a groan.

Update of 7:39 p.m. -- Ripert of France speaks in favor of Mansour and also of Egypt, urges a speech by Palestine, distribution and the vote. "More dignified," he calls it.  D'Escoto calls for 15 minute break.

Update of 8:24 p.m. -- during a half hour break, diplomats milled about in Conference Room 3. Many commented on the incongruity of Egypt and the Palestinian Authority siding with the European Union. It emerged that the US would prefer to have a vote on the Ecuadorian draft, that way to get no votes from the European Union. At 8:29, Ecuador proposed to vote on d'Escoto's original draft. Team d'Escoto said the chaos was triggered by the EU pushing for more changes to an already- compromise text. A well placed diplomat said Egypt was wrong that its text with the EU would get 180 votes.

Update of 8:36 p.m. -- Egypt's motion to consider its (and the EU's) text first wins 112 to 10, with 20 abstentions.

Update of 8:38 p.m. - both Costa Rica and Tunisia protest that their votes were not recorded, both wanted to vote for the Egyptian proposal.

Update of 8:43 p.m. -- The EU - Egypt text is passed, 142-4 with 8 abstentions. The opponents include the United States, and Venezuela. Cape Verde screams that its vote wasn't counted because it hadn't paid its dues. Others have gotten Article 19 relief, like Somalia and Liberia, but not Cape Verde. Or Palau. Afghanistan paid up. Shaban Shaban is reading it all into the record.

  This story continues, and ends, at www.innercitypress.com/gaza1verde011709.html

Click here for Inner City Press' review-of-2008 UN Top Ten debate

Click here from Inner City Press' December 12 debate on UN double standards

Click here for Inner City Press Nov. 7 debate on the war in Congo

Watch this site, and this Oct. 2 debate, on UN, bailout, MDGs

and this October 17 debate, on Security Council and Obama and the UN.

* * *

These reports are usually also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund.  Video Analysis here

Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com

UN Office: S-453A, UN, NY 10017 USA Tel: 212-963-1439

Reporter's mobile (and weekends): 718-716-3540

Search innercitypress.com  Search WWW (censored?)

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

            Copyright 2006-08 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com -