Of course, there are some who are. There are religious extremists among Jews. Now, I consider these people to be truly dangerous, and their religious beliefs are as divisive and as unwarranted as the beliefs of devout Muslims. But there are far fewer such people.
And this gets to the heart of the moral difference between Israel and her enemies. And this is something I discussed in The End of Faith. To see this moral difference, you have to ask what each side would do if they had the power to do it.
The truth is that everything you need to know about the moral imbalance between Israel and her enemies can be understood on the topic of human shields. Who uses human shields? Well, Hamas certainly does. They shoot their rockets from residential neighborhoods, from beside schools, and hospitals, and mosques. Muslims in other recent conflicts, in Iraq and elsewhere, have also used human shields. They have laid their rifles on the shoulders of their own children and shot from behind their bodies.
These incompatible religious attachments to this land have made it impossible for Muslims and Jews to negotiate like rational human beings, and they have made it impossible for them to live in peace. But the onus is still more on the side of the Muslims here. Even on their worst day, the Israelis act with greater care and compassion and self-criticism than Muslim combatants have anywhere, ever.
What do groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda and even Hamas want? They want to impose their religious views on the rest of humanity. They want to stifle every freedom that decent, educated, secular people care about. This is not a trivial difference. And yet judging from the level of condemnation that Israel now receives, you would think the difference ran the other way.
The Security Council condemned in the strongest terms today all instances of human trafficking in areas affected by armed conflict as it heard from more than 70 speakers during a day-long open debate on the subject.
Also by that text, the Council stressed that acts of human trafficking during armed conflict as well as sexual and gender-based violence could be part of the strategic objectives and ideologies of certain terrorist groups by, among other things, incentivizing recruitment, supporting financing through the sale of women, girls and boys, and use of religious justifications to codify and institutionalize sexual slavery. It called upon Member States, among other things, to investigate, disrupt and dismantle the networks involved, including through the use of anti-money laundering, anti-corruption and counter-terrorism laws, underscoring in that regard the importance of international cooperation in law enforcement.
Emphasizing the importance of fighting trafficking for the sake of the victims, and of reducing funding for terrorists, he said countries should investigate and prosecute cases in which their own nationals committed such crimes abroad. All perpetrators must be brought to justice, he said, stressing that only an international response could succeed in resolving an international problem like human trafficking. Because the majority of trafficking victims were women and girls, the response must include special attention to their rights, and States must adopt gender-sensitive and rights-based migration policies, he said.
In the ensuing debate, speakers recognized that human trafficking in conflict areas was a threat to international peace and security, and was being used systematically by certain terrorist groups and non-State actors as a tool to intimidate and destroy communities because of their religion, ethnicity or culture. Since it was also used to finance the activities of terrorist groups, financial flows should be analysed and targeted sanctions imposed on individuals and groups that committed the crime of human trafficking, he said, describing them as war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The Permanent Observer of the Holy See and a representative of the European Union delegation also delivered statements, as did representatives of the International Organization for Migration, Organization of American States and Interpol.
Emphasizing the importance of fighting trafficking for the sake of the victims, and also to reduce funding for terrorists, he said the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime was a vital tool, and called upon all States that were not signatories to its Protocol on Trafficking in Persons to sign up right away. Countries should also adopt dedicated anti-trafficking laws and national action plans. They should also investigate and prosecute cases, including those in which their own nationals committed such crimes abroad. All perpetrators must be brought to justice, he stressed, pointing out that trafficking was an international problem and only an international response could succeed.
Encouraging contributions to the United Nations Voluntary Trust fund for Victims of Human Trafficking and the Voluntary Trust fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, he said that, if conflict provided oxygen to traffickers, human rights and stability suffocated them. That was why it was so important to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, he said, underlining the need for all countries to ratify all international human rights, refugee, labour rights and crime-prevention conventions, and to put greater efforts into their effective implementation. Because the majority of trafficking victims were women and girls, the response must include special attention to their rights, and States must adopt gender-sensitive and rights-based migration policies, he said.
YURY FEDOTOV, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said that, thanks to the efforts of the Security Council and of Goodwill Ambassador Nadia Murad, there was heightened attention to human trafficking in conflict and in mass movements of refugees and migrants. Pervasive and transnational human trafficking was everywhere, and building effective action thus required a strong framework of international cooperation and shared responsibility. The required building blocks could be found in the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol against Trafficking in Persons, through which 158 countries had criminalized human trafficking, he said.
KORO BESSHO (Japan) welcomed the unanimous adoption of the resolution, the first Council resolution to address trafficking of humans during conflict, which was connected to sexual violence and other international criminal activity. Trafficking in persons could be used as a tactic by terrorist groups, and it was being used systematically by certain terrorist groups and non-State actors as a tool to destroy communities. The international community was responsible for removing that threat by holding accountable those who engaged in such activities. To recognize and address the situation, the Security Council must have relevant information. The Convention against Transnational Organized Crime was an essential international framework for combating trafficking in persons.
RAFAEL DARO RAMREZ CARREO (Venezuela) aligning himself with the statement to be delivered by Bahrain on behalf of the Group of Friends against Trafficking, said extremists were trafficking people to finance the scourge of terrorism. The creation of groups like ISIL facilitated the committing of crimes against civilian populations; Venezuela demanded all actors of the international community to respect international law provisions pertaining to a ban on providing weapons to such groups. The international community must act in a coherent political and moral way. The resolution adopted today was a concrete contribution to addressing situations of armed conflict and to coordinating strategies to combat extremism and terrorism.
WU HAITAO (China) said resolution 2331 (2016) would help the international community protect the rights of women and children. It was incumbent upon the international community to step up protection and remove the root causes of conflict while fighting transnational organized crime. Trafficking in persons had become a source of funding for terrorist groups, and the international community should employ many tactics, including political means to cut off financing channels and suppress all forms of transnational organized crime. Noting that many affected countries faced a lack of resources and capacity, he emphasized the need for the international community to provide them with support upon request. To deepen international cooperation, the United Nations as well as subsidiary bodies should leverage advantages, strengthen coordination and work to address the problem, he stressed.
ISMAEL ABRAO GASPAR MARTINS (Angola) said the basic approach in countering trafficking in persons was to improve the socioeconomic situation of the most vulnerable. Human trafficking in conflict situations had led to trade in women and girls and forced marriage, tactics used by terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The issue had a multiplying effect on conflict situations. That was an issue of international peace and security as it undermined the rule of law and contributed to other forms of international organized crime, which in turn exacerbated conflict. Angola had developed mechanisms to combat that type of crime, including by establishing shelters for the victims, he said.
Ms. JAQUEZ (Mexico) said that within the context of trafficking and conflict situations, women and girls were among the most vulnerable. The UNODC global report on trafficking in persons reflected the deplorable global situation that claimed victims every day, and its findings should help to prevent and combat the crime. Full compliance with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was another tool for tackling the structural factors that led to trafficking, such as extreme poverty and lack of opportunities. In accordance with Sustainable Development Goal 16, there was a need to end illicit financial flows and the financing of criminal activities for the purpose of trafficking women and girls. Mexico had implemented three actions, he said, citing its creation of legal reforms to investigate and sanction perpetrators, the establishment of a national judiciary to benefit from joint efforts by Government, civil society and academics, and a partnership with the UNODC to uncover specific and reliable information on trafficking trends in Mexico.
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