July 15: The Geneva Conventions and the Settlements

A United Nations conference convened in Geneva on this date in 1999, with 103 nations attending, and unanimously determined that the Fourth Geneva Convention, governing the treatment of civilians during war, was applicable to Israel’s settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem. Israel and the United States boycotted the session, which lasted less than an hour and did not name Israel in its resolution. The Fourth Geneva Convention, which outlaws torture, collective punishment, and the settling of the citizens of an occupying power on occupied land, has never been invoked to condemn international atrocities such as those in Bosnia, Rwanda, Kosovo, or Sri Lanka. Israel argues that the Convention does not apply to its settlements, since they resulted from a defensive war against countries that had illegally occupied the Palestinian land since 1948. “Settlements and peace do not coincide.” —Nabil Shaath Mideast Peace is in your hands with the Jewish Currents Bridge of Peaace — visit our marketplace.