Ah, the United Nations Human Rights CouncilT
The Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister, in addressing the UN Security Council in a debate called for by Arab states and their supporters in Latin America, to bring censure to Israel once again, spoke feelingly of the issue at hand: "Unchecked impunity and the absence of justice will only continue to prolong this tragic conflict, prolong civilian suffering, and obstruct peace efforts". Amazing, how quickly Arabs have learned to turn on the left-liberal taps of humanitarian pleading.That little speech could have come from a true democratic-liberal society's spokesperson, speaking on behalf of Israel. And in that instance the expression would have been authentic, honest and straightforward, unlike the manipulative undertones resonant in those words issuing from a Palestinian. For it is the Palestinian Authority that, newly emboldened by the support it has succeeded in engendering not only from among neighbouring Arab states but throughout the international liberal-left, now insists on everything its way or no way.
The background of which is the institutionalized teaching from cradle to grave of Palestinians that Jews are their natural enemies, their oppressors, responsible for all the ills that have befallen the Palestinians. Children are taught to hate, and groomed to take their place as adults in the war against Israel. The PA maps give no indication of the presence of a Jewish State, only a wide sweep of geography reflecting the Palestinians' rights to own the land that Israel now sits upon. Young men are encouraged to go forward and become martyrs.
The more that Israel can be isolated, marginalized, demonized, the more eloquent the voices of the martyrs suffering under the iron fist of the enemy of the Arab world. One tiny state of 7 million people, as opposed to the combined populations of several hundred million in the Arab world, and an estimated 1.2-billion in the world of Islam. That kind of weight of disapprobation and denial casts the State of Israel in a necessarily defensive position as time and again the United Nations' agendas are steered to focus on Israel and all the wrongs it has purportedly foisted on the rest of the world, but mainly within the Middle East.
The legitimate action of a sovereign state to defend itself against aggression recognized throughout the world as a legal right, somehow is construed as conduct unbecoming a government comprised of Jews. While all other countries of the world may protect their interests from the deliberate and violent depredations of enemies, Israel may not. To do so is to bring irate condemnation down on the government of Israel. It provokes the United Nations to launch an official investigation into human rights abuses conducted by the State of Israel, and presents yet another forum by which the world sits in judgement and finds Israel wanting.
World indifference to Israel's ongoing embattlement, its struggle to exist surrounded by hostile entities, both governmental and jihadist, leaves the country struggling and isolated in its search for a balanced response to dreadful provocations. The kind of patient tolerance in attempting to stem the constant barrage of assaults on its territory and its people that Israel is expected to produce, is foisted on no other country of the world. Yet the world's most human-rights-abusing nations, like Iran, China, Sudan, and Libya can appear crisply before the UN Human Rights Commission and libel Israel.
The president of Iran can repeat, time and again, his and his country's intention to destroy Israel, and not a murmur of condemnation is heard from that same Human Rights Commission.Nor, for that matter, the United Nations general body, as well, in defence of one of their own members. Now, with the presentation of the Goldstone Report on the 22-day Gaza conflict, the Security Council has been called upon to report Israel to the International Criminal Court, for the prosecution of war crimes, should Israel fail to satisfy the Commission that it has rigorously investigated claims of human-rights abuses by the IDF.
The President of Sudan, responsible for the genocidal-depth destruction of Darfurians, the mass slaughter, horrendous rapes and torture inflicted on the people, their homes and farms destroyed, hundreds of thousands made homeless, can flout demands for his surrender to the International Criminal Court on charges of human rights violations and crimes against humanity, with impunity. And then turn around and state his personal conviction upholding his and his Muslim cohorts' condemnation of Israel for crimes against humanity.
That session convened to bring Israel to heel has been endorsed now by Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, accusing Israeli forces of war crimes. She has informed the council of her support of the Goldstone report's recommendations for investigation and prosecution of those responsible for committing war crimes. Hamas will certainly not investigate itself, and the PA, which has vowed to commit to an investigation, cannot enter Gaza, so how will this take place on the Palestinian side? Israel has already launched a number of investigations and come to the conclusion that all of this is much ado about very little. But this will obviously not suffice for her condemners.
And then the news that Lebanon has been elected to a two-year post on the UN Security Council. Replacing Libya. Lebanon, divided between a legitimate government and the terrorist group Hezbollah. Hezbollah, committed, as a proxy to Iran, to the destruction of Israel, much as Hamas, also funded and encouraged by Syria and Iran, is. This represents the utter corruption of any kind of philosophy of decency in world order, with respect where it is due. When the worst human-rights abusers, those dedicated to violence to obtain what they wish, are in control of UN outcomes, the entire convoluted mechanism becomes devoid of meaning.
Hypocrisy rules the day. Devaluing the institution of the United Nations beyond redemption.
In the process of a continuum of what has already become established procedure, the Arab and Muslim states among the 47-member Human Rights Council will continue to launch ever-new assaults on Israel through one anti-Israel resolution after another. The irony is that the language of democratic societies valuing freedoms that most Human Rights Council members would never permit in their own societies is being used, successfully, to haunt and to victimize Israel.
Labels: Israel, Political Realities, United Nations
posted by Pieface @ Thursday, October 15, 2009
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