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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| A Futile U.N. Gesture |
| 2012-12-02 |
| It was no accident that Mahmoud Abbas chose November 29 to seek a United Nations General Assembly vote recognizing Palestine as a state, albeit as a non-member "observer" state at the U.N. November 29 is the 65th anniversary of the General Assembly's Resolution 181, which partitioned British-Mandated Palestine into Jewish and Palestinian states. The Jews accepted the Resolution; Arabs unanimously rejected it. It passed by a vote of 33-13 with 10 abstentions. Had the Arab world voted for the plan, a Palestinian state would be as old as Israel is today, and within larger borders than the 1949 Armistice lines that the Palestinian President now claims for his new, notional, "state." Those Israelis won't be reassured by the lopsided 138-9 margin of Thursday's vote, with 41 abstentions. In effect, the General Assembly voted to violate the 1993 Oslo Accords, which are the legal basis for Mr. Abbas's Palestinian Authority and require negotiations with Israel to create a state. When the world next asks Jerusalem to take "risks for peace," Israelis will know that countries such as France (which voted for the resolution) and Germany (which abstained) will not have their backs. As for the Obama Administration, it opposed the U.N. resolution but failed to get allies such as France and Germany to do so as well — further testimony to U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice's dubious diplomatic skills. It will be interesting to see if the Palestinians now use their new U.N. status to harass Israelis in venues such as the International Criminal Court. Such tactics are aimed at making everyday life increasingly unbearable for Israelis, ostensibly to force their hand on accepting a Palestinian state. Our guess is that it will have the opposite effect. When the U.N. voted in 1947 for partition, the Jews of Palestine demonstrated that they were ready to create a functional state. On Thursday, the U.N. voted for a "Palestine" that has become a byword for political dysfunction, ideological extremism, and a preference for symbolism over pragmatism. The tragedy of Thursday's vote is that it will only encourage Palestinians to remain in their make-believe world. |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #4 IMNSHO, the Obama administration opposed the resolution for public, domestically-political purposes; it did not expend the energy needed to get its nominal allies on board. He spent his whole life majoring in being on both sides of every issue. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2012-12-02 15:05 |
| #3 As for the Obama Administration, it opposed the U.N. resolution but failed to get allies such as France and Germany to do so as well -- further testimony to U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice's dubious diplomatic skills IMNSHO, the Obama administration opposed the resolution for public, domestically-political purposes; it did not expend the energy needed to get its nominal allies on board. Susan Rice's dubious political skills weren't required, when her political hackery more than sufficed. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2012-12-02 14:41 |
| #2 Well, if they keep on attacking Israel, at least the Palestinians have a return address now. |
| Posted by: gorb 2012-12-02 10:35 |
| #1 Just another way for the World to say "Jews, we hate you!". |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2012-12-02 01:28 |