The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has issued a scathing report on the treatment of Palestinian children by Israeli authorities. Israel did not cooperate with the investigations that led to the report, asserting that it believed that the charges against it were politically motivated and not based upon a full understanding of the issues. The report asserts that Palestinian children are routinely denied birth registrations, and are denied access to health care, education, and clean water. Moreover, the report asserts that Israeli authorities detain Palestinian children, and that over a ten year period over 7,000 children ages 12-17 were held prisoner.
The protests in Brazil are continuing and are widespread and huge. The protests were not really affected by the government’s decision to reduce the bus and subway fare hikes, and the clear sentiment of the protesters is that the government does not represent their interests. In particular, the common theme of all the protests in 60 cities was that there is too much corruption in the Brazilian system, manifested most specifically in the preparations for the World Cup competition in 2014.
Almost as soon as they were announced, the scheduled talks between the US and the Taliban were cancelled. President Karzai made clear that he was opposed to the talks, and the US decided that it could not embarrass its ally in Afghanistan. The disarray surrounding these talks suggest that Secretary of State Kerry has yet to achieve the degree of coordination within the State Department necessary for effective diplomacy. The sequence of events is hardly encouraging.
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