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A pariah state (the term in English, pariah, from the Indian Paraiyar or Parayar) is a nation whose conduct is considered to be out of line with international norms of behavior by either the rest of the international community (such as the United Nations (WP)), or through the UN by some of the great powers with their unequal power in the UN Security. Zimbabwe is pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs and as long as the country remains a pariah state there will be no meaningful economic recovery.
'Israel has an open, vibrant, and pluralistic civil society,actively engaged in raising priorities and challenging the Government’sconduct. The government is engaged in an ongoing dialogue with numerousNGOs. Thus, for example, the Association for CivilRights in Israel (ACRI) has contributed significantly to theprotection of human rights in Israel.' It may be surprising, but the above paragraph is not quoted from ACRI’s, but rather from an official Israeli government document.
The quote is from the submitted by Israel, as part of the (UPR), to the U.N.’s Human Rights Council. It would appear to the reader that Israel’s government rightfully celebrates the country’s strong civil society and proudly recognizes the part played by Israel’s human rights groups in building a better Israel. But that was back in 2008, when this report was submitted. Back then, working for 'the protection of humanrights in Israel' was not yet equivalent to collaborating with the enemy. But much has changed since then.One can perhaps claim that the paragraph quoted above should not betaken too seriously.
After all, Israeli governments have demonstrated over theyears that they do not take the United Nations very seriously, rightfully pointing out how politicized and unbalanced U.N. Positions on Israel often are. One may thus speculate that UPR submissions may very well have been drafted for PR purposes only, not to be mistaken as a genuine expression of domestic policies.Perhaps. But this 2008 National Report is far from being the only official example of Israel’s stated commitment to human rights and the country’s celebration of these values as essentially good. Here is another suchexample:Considering the importance which theParties attach to the observance of human rights and democracy, which formthe very basis of the Association Relations between the Parties shall bebased on respect for human rights and democratic principles, which guides theirinternal and international policy. The EU and Israel share the common valuesof democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law and basicfreedoms.The above lines are from the, which entered into force back in 2000.
This agreement, unlike what can be potentially said about U.N. Submissions, is about very tangible outputs. Specifically, it forms the basis for Israeli universities, researchers, and industries to directly receive hundreds of millions of euros from various EU funds and for Israel’s free trade arrangements with its largest trading partner — the European Union. It is also the basisfor the European Union’s investments, though of much smaller amounts, in some Israeli human rights groups. Thus it is fortunate indeed that the European Union and Israel 'share the common values of democracy,' these shared values being the 'very basis' for the agreement.Iranian agents, Hamas terrorists, and human rights activists?Fast-forward to the summer of 2009.