Exclusive: Schabas’ own colleague, human rights icon Aryeh Neier, calls for him to quit UN Gaza prob

[Jefferson23]

83. 88 Senators Urge Kerry to Shield Israel from Any Accountability at the UN

Earlier this week, Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) led 86 other senators in a letter to John Kerry urging him to take steps to prevent Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas from seeking investigation of or redress for Israeli war crimes through the UN Human Rights Council and the International Criminal Court or a UNSCC resolution setting a clear date for the end of Israel's occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.

The commitment of such senators to "peace," defined in any meaningful way, should be viewed as suspect given their support for continued military aid for Israel even as the IDF attacks on hospitals, schools, and other aspects of civilian infrastructure in Gaza.

With 88 signers, that just leaves 12 who did not attach their name to the letter.

One of those was Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), who does not traditionally sign letters.

Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Tom Harkin (D-IA), and Pat Leahy (D-VT), as senior committee chairs, often do not sign either. Harkin and Rockefeller are also retiring.

That leaves three members of the Democratic caucus—Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)—and five members of the Republican caucus—Tom Coburn (R-OK), Bob Corker (R-TN), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Jeff Sessions (R-AL).

I'm not sure about Coburn, Corker, Murkowski, and Sessions. The others--Baldwin, Paul, Sanders, and Warren--all seem like people who could be responsive to pressure from those seeking a more humane foreign policy. I know Warren and Sanders have both faced some backlash from their progressive constituents for their support from Israel's attack on Gaza.

Getting someone to not sign a letter, of course, is quite a baby step. But any long-term strategy to change US foreign policy will require such steps and a knowledge of whatever leverage points exist.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/09/28/1332643/-88-Senators-Urge-Kerry-to-Shield-Israel-from-Any-Accountability-at-the-UN