Posted on May 10th, 2012 by Marian Houk
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas visited the Ramallah / Al-Bireh solidarity tents on Thursday afternoon. It was a rare public outing for a man who travels around Ramallah in a 14-car convoy [including an ambulance] on streets where all traffic has to be stopped, and where armed men stand watch at regular intervals all along the [...]
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Filed under: BAN Ki-Moon, Human Rights, Israel, Palestine & Palestinians, UN Secretary-General
Posted on February 2nd, 2012 by Marian Houk
About the shoe-throwing [a now-comic sign of disrespect for the target]: the first report was from the Al-Arabiya correspondent travelling in the convoy of UN Secretary-General BAN Ki-Moon as it entered Gaza. Then, Ma’an News Agency did a story, saying that “Dozens of people threw shoes and stones at UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s convoy as [...]
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Filed under: BAN Ki-Moon, Boundaries & Borders, Gaza
Posted on February 1st, 2012 by Marian Houk
UN Secretary-General BAN Ki-Moon met Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem today, then Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. After both meetings, there was a press conference. In Jerusalem with Netanyahu, BAN said “Settlements do not help the peace process… I told the prime minister that he should refrain from future construction”. [Just future construction? [...]
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Filed under: BAN Ki-Moon, Boundaries & Borders, Israel, Palestine & Palestinians, UN Secretary-General, UN Security Council, United Nations
Posted on September 21st, 2011 by Marian Houk
Rallies are taking place in cities around the West Bank today, organized by the non-official but officially-approved “National Committee – Palestine: UN State 194″. Palestine TV, which is covering the Ramallah rally live, listed a series of uninspiring speeches for demo in ex-Clock Square [now Yasser Arafat Sq] in Ramallah, then performance by Al-Ashaqeen. At [...]
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Filed under: BAN Ki-Moon, Palestine & Palestinians
Posted on September 19th, 2011 by Marian Houk
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has arrived in New York for what has looked like an eventful week that would culminate in a Palestinian bid for full membership in the United Nations. Abbas met the UN Secretary-General BAN Ki-Moon today — but did not submit the letter that has to be given to the UN Secretary-General [...]
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Filed under: BAN Ki-Moon, Israel, Palestine & Palestinians, UN General Assembly, UN Security Council, United Nations, US in UN
Posted on September 16th, 2011 by Marian Houk
In this Al-Jazeera International interview with a nicely designed set — possibly in the UNSG’s 38th floor office, it seems — UNSG BAN Ki-Moon speaks with Al Jazeera’s Kristen Saloomey, and says: “Membership in UN is something that is up to the member states of the UN … It does not fall within my mandate [...]
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Filed under: BAN Ki-Moon, Palestine & Palestinians, UN Secretary-General, United Nations
Posted on September 15th, 2011 by Marian Houk
Was the UNSG taking a diplomatic half-step back from his earlier support for a long-overdue Palestinian State? What he said, at a hastily-summoned press conference at UNHQ/NY on Thursday, was exactly this: “I am profoundly troubled by the lack of progress in the peace negotiations. It is vital that they resume. Ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict [...]
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Filed under: BAN Ki-Moon, Israel, Palestine & Palestinians, US in UN
Posted on September 10th, 2011 by Marian Houk
During a visit to Canberra, Australia, the UN Secretary-General BAN Ki-Moon made headlines here, and probably around the world, by saying that a Palestinian state is “long overdue”. AFP reported that the UNSG said: “The two state vision where Israel and Palestinians can live… side by side in peace and security — that is a [...]
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Filed under: BAN Ki-Moon, Palestine & Palestinians, US in UN, USA
Posted on February 25th, 2011 by Marian Houk
In today’s UN Security Council meeting at UNHQ/NY, Libya’s Ambassador Mohammad Abdel-Rahman Shalgham (until today, apparently loyal to Col. Muammar Qaddhafi, and according to AFP his childhood friend) formally joined his deputy (Ibrahim Dabbashi), and the opposition to the current regime in his country. Shalgham reportedly told the Security Council: “Please, the United Nations, save [...]
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Filed under: BAN Ki-Moon, Human Rights, Libya, UN Secretary-General, UN Security Council, United Nations
Posted on August 16th, 2010 by Marian Houk
There’s only one convincing way to respond to attacks on oneself and/or one’s leadership: to smile and give genuine assurances that you are going to give full consideration to the arguments of opponents, or the opposition, and in any case you will sure try to do better. UNSG BAN Ki-Moon has just chosen a poor [...]
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Filed under: BAN Ki-Moon, UN Administration
