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Islamic Human Rights Commission
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30 January 2006

Press Release: Palestinian Elections expose International Community’s Prejudices

IHRC is deeply concerned at the deep-rooted prejudices which have come to light in the wake of last week’s historic Palestinian elections.

IHRC has been shocked by the world’s response to the elections and regards it as further evidence of why the international community has failed to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

IHRC notes with worry the double-standard being implemented by the international community. Israel is a nation which from its birth has been led by people guilty of systematically breaking international law and of committing the most heinous acts of terrorism. Some such as Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir were wanted by the British authorities for their acts of terrorism; some such as Ehud Barak today boast openly of how they carried out illegal assassinations in the past; others, such as Ariel Sharon, were found guilty of war crimes by his peers. Yet all have been given support by the international community on the basis of being democratically elected.

On the other hand, Hamas, a group whose work even the Israeli scholar Reuven Paz accepts is 90% in social, welfare, cultural and educational activities, is condemned as the evil son of democracy for its role in fighting illegal occupation. Regardles of one’s views on Hamas, it is an important and widely held concept that one should never equate the illegal military occupying power with those who seek to liberate their people and their land.

IHRC Chair Massoud Shadjareh said today:

“The international community must end this hypocrisy which has seen democratic governments in Algeria, Turkey, the Republic of Chechnya of the Russian Federation, Iran and now Palestine bullied and threatened because the people dared to believe in and vote for Islam as a solution to their problems. The era of the international powers electing the governments of the world must finish.”

For more information please contact (+44) 20 8904 4222, or (44) 7958 522196 or email:info@ihrc.org.[ ENDS ]

Islamic Human Rights Commission
PO Box 598
Wembley
HA9 7XH
United Kingdom

Telephone (+44) 20 8904 4222
Fax (+44) 20 8904 5183
Email: info@ihrc.org
Web: www.ihrc.org