By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, November 19 -- After media both in Israel and in Fiji reported that four Fijian peacekeepers with the UNDOF mission in Golan were injured and treated at the Ziv Medical Center, Inner City Press asked the UN's spokesperson Farhan Haq about the incident.
Haq said, Tuesday at noon, that he had not heard of this. How is this possible?
The Fiji Times reported that "a thorough investigation will be conducted by the government to ascertain the cause of an accident that left four Fijian soldiers serving with the UN Disengagement Observer Force injured in the Golan Heights over the weekend. An Information Ministry statement released yesterday confirmed the soldiers are part of Number 3 Company of 1FIR under the UNDOF mission."
So the Information Minister of Fiji formally confirmed the UNDOF incident, but the UN's information ministry said it had never heard of it.
Previously on November 12, after being told by sources in the area of over 170 injured people from Syria and the Golan being treated in the Ziv Medical Center, Inner City Pressasked the UN:
Inner City Press: UNDOF question, what does UNDOF do when a person who is injured either in fighting or a civilian injured through fighting, approaches them, I have been told that in some instances, they’re turned away to avoid allegations from either side of taking sides, but is there just a sort of implicit protection of civilians mandate of UNDOF and what's the protocol when an injured individual, either a fighter or a civilian, approaches UNDOF?
Spokesperson Nesirky: I’ll need to check on that. I do believe that we do have something on that, but I would need to check first, okay?
In that case, three hours later Spokesperson Martin Nesirky sent:
Subject: Your question on UNDOF
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Tue, Nov 12, 2013 at 3:19 PM
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Tue, Nov 12, 2013 at 3:19 PM
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com
Regarding your question at noon about UNDOF, we have the following to say:
The UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has provided medical treatment, including immediate first aid and emergency treatment, to civilians on a strictly humanitarian basis. For further details, we refer you to the March, June, and September 2013 Reports of the Secretary-General on UNDOF.
In this case, UNDOF couldn't treat its own peacekeepers, according to media in Israel and Fiji -- and now the UN in New York says it has heard nothing about it. How is that possible? To this has the UN sunk.
Then at Tuesday's briefing, Haq's chiding response, after dodging questions on Uganda's claims against the UN ("ask the AU") and Israel treating those injured in the Golan ("haven't heard of it"), was to say that Central African Republic shouldn't be shortened, as nearly all on the Security Council do, to "CAR."
So the UN can pronounce very precisely -- but can't confirm the injury and transfer to Israel of its own Golan peacekeepers or if Ladsous' DPKO has any Standing Claims Commission anywhere in the world. On November 18, it was "not a yes or no question." And on November 19? No answer at all. Watch this site.
