Another UN Shame

After two weeks of hemming and hawing, UN International Human Rights Commissioner Lousie Arbour has finally turned down requests to meet with the families of two Israeli soldiers being held captive by Hezbollah and the family of IDF Corporal Shalit held by PRC reports Ha’aretz.

The families of kidnapped soldiers Eldad Regev, Ehud Goldwasser, and Gilad Shalit protested on Tuesday to United Nations representatives in Israel following the refusal of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, to meet with them.

The coordinators of the effort to free the soldiers said Arbour, who is now in Israel, finally said no to a meeting after avoiding a direct answer for two weeks. The families want to discuss UN efforts to attain signs of life from the three soldiers. Benny Regev, brother of Eldad Regev, said the families were "furious and disappointed" at Arbour's refusal to meet with them.

I suppose the fact that UN Security Resolution 1701 specifically demands the release of the two soldiers held captive by Hezbollah or the fact that the International Red Cross has been repeatedly denied access to all three Israeli soldiers just doesn’t have any bearing or relationship to the international human rights.