ISRAEL VS. JEAN ZIEGLER

AP: Israel Demands Withdrawal of Food Report

GENEVA - Israel on Thursday demanded the withdrawal of a United Nations
report on the food situation in the Palestinian territories, claiming
the author is politically biased. Yaakov Levy, Israel's ambassador in
Geneva, wrote to the chairwoman of the U.N. Human Rights Commission demanding
that Jean Ziegler's report be "deemed unfit for presentation" to the
commission when it meets in the spring.

The move follows an interview with Ziegler on French television channel
LCI, in which he said he was a member of the board of directors of the
Tel Aviv-based Alternative Information Center, which describes itself as "a
Palestinian-Israeli organization which disseminates information,
research and political analysis ... while promoting cooperation between
Palestinians and Israelis based on the values of social justice, solidarity and
community involvement." ... "There is a permanent, grave violation of
the right to food by the occupying forces. There is a catastrophic
humanitarian situation, and really it is absurd," he said at the time.