Slandering Richard Falk exposes the tarnished UN

According to the US, the United Nations’ reputation has been “tarnished” by Richard Falk’s constant denunciations regarding Israel’s record of international law violations. In a statement to Reuters, which has been echoed in the Times of Israel, US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power declared, “The United States welcomes Mr Falk’s departure, which is long overdue.”

Falk’s reports have elicited an exaggerated condemnation from imperialist factions, which have resorted to invoking controversy and conspiracy in an effort to thwart attention from the ramifications of Israel’s colonisation of Palestine, described by Power as “Falk’s relentless anti-Israel bias”. In conformity with the regurgitated attempts at slander throughout the years, Power stated, “His publication of bizarre and insulting material has tarnished the UN’s reputation and undermined the effectiveness of the Human Rights Council.” Israeli media has supplemented Power’s comments with a reminder that Falk had been regularly criticised, among others, by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and the pro-Israel lobby UN Watch.

Accusing Falk of slandering the UN is a widespread international complicity which incriminates itself. As the US and the UN monopolise the spectrum of language defining international law violations, any contradiction of the disseminated mainstream narratives which is based upon facts necessitates a concentrated effort of dismissal in order to manufacture claims of controversy or conspiracy.

Seldom have official reports about Palestine depicted facts without resorting to the imperialist interpretation of international law. Israel has been allowed to perfect its oppression within parameters that exclude the condemnation and retaliation in the name of human rights reserved for countries which fail to assimilate. Hence, the exclusivity of terms such as colonisation and genocide which are then manipulated to present an alleged universal interpretation of the ramifications, only to be imposed by imperialism upon the misrepresented and constructed “other”.

Falk’s accusations of genocide are not based on speculation or sensation – they are rooted in evidence that does not necessitate reliance upon the manipulated legislation which is valiantly endorsed by the UN in its role as an imperialist interlocutor. While the UN attempts to elaborate the vague construction of fundamental values within its compromised agenda that invalidates the narratives of the oppressed, Falk’s commitment has been vital in exposing not only colonial violence, but also the UN’s commendation of such violations through its perfunctory statements of alleged concern.

Samantha Power has failed miserably in the final phases of the slander campaign against Falk. Blaming Falk for tarnishing the UN’s reputation only reinforces imperialist impunity. The UN has willingly relinquished the common struggle for freedom – a fact easily discerned through scrutiny of the imperialist organisation’s allegiances, its modification of human rights violation to suit hegemonic discourse and, in the case of Palestine, its invalidation of Palestinian history and memory through its recognition of the settler-colonial state and the refusal to advocate for the dismantling of the entity in order to enforce the implementation of the Palestinian right of return.

Just as Power’s comments, a raucous segment of the clamour which has unsuccessfully campaigned to discredit Falk, ought to be held in contempt and shunned, so should Falk be commended for his consistency in utilising the UN platform while rejecting the organisation’s schemes regarding this oppression.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.