The Council of Europe, representing 45 countries joined together to protect the values of democracy, the rule of law and human rights, on June 25 delivered the first surprise with a resolution it passed on the issue of Palestinian refugees.

An initiative by Arab states seeking support for the Palestinian right of return was rejected and instead a resolution was passed calling for refugees to be settled in the countries where they live, or in other countries, and to grant full compensation and rights to those who remain in Arab countries.

The council did not mention any UN resolutions regarding the right of return, nor any Israeli duty to accept some of the refugees, but there was a demand for European countries to accept some of the refugees.[...]

A second surprise emanated from the French humanitarian society, Medecins Sans Frontieres International. The organization has in the past condemned the IDF for crimes in the territories but, as reported by Liberation on July 22, it has now published a particularly vehement and critical report on the Palestinian Authority for the suicide bombings...

The report says suicide bombings are planned and organized and are not sporadic acts of despair. The organization emphasizes the moral and political responsibility of the PA for creating "a climate of immunity" for the crimes and not taking steps to prevent them...

The third surprise came from Le Monde, which on July 11 reviewed some Israeli and Palestinian books...The surprise comes from Sylvain Cypel's review. The Le Monde critic does praise Kimmerling's book but reprimands him for describing Israel as a fascist state, explaining that not every state involved in a colonial war is fascist. He also criticizes the symmetry that Boniface creates between the Jewish and Muslim communities in France, saying the second group
threatens the first, not vice versa.[...]