INSC 2334 and perpetuating the Arab war against Israel

From an email exchange about the disastrous UNSC resolution promoted by Obama, my statement on it as the ultimate and compelling example of his administration's failed foreign policy of manipulative and appeasing 'abstaining from behind'. I have nothing more to say. Thank goodness there are people out there saying it better and more powerfully than me.


Wow, it's been a long weekend.


There is objective reality, and then there is wishful thinking and illusions (or delusions of grandeur). There is history and then there is imperfect understanding or willful ignorance or purposeful misrepresentation. There is actual int'l law and then there is the political use (abuse) of the terminology of "law". As in Friday's absurd resolution which makes a mockery of the UN, explicitly contradicting its own charter and previous resolutions. The UN inherited and adopted the one mandating "settlement" by Jews of the Land of Israel, for instance. The UNSC passed 242, the one requiring the Arabs to make peace with Israel and for Israel to retain some of the land to which it has a claim. The UN's Charter has that one part outlawing aggressive warfare. Not to mention the mockery this all makes of various int'l agreements like the Geneva Convention (which doesn't apply here) and the Oslo Accords (which require negotiations between the parties, explicitly rejecting this sort of int'l interference, as well as not restricting building by the parties in areas under their control).


But this resolution, in perfect Orwellian Double-Speak, says Israel's towns and villages in Judea & Samaria have "no legal validity" (though not Arab new towns/settlements and expansions of villages and Bedouin encampments) and ignores all international law related to this conflict and area, most importantly the corpus of actual treaty law, in favor of vacuous references of "humanitarian law" and use of the word "illegal" when according to (western) scholars of law it is not.


Regarding the UNSC resolution itself, I'd like to draw your attention to the obvious:


1. There has been no "expansion" of settlements for years.


2. The harm in this resolution is NOT that it "criticizes settlements", which is a reasonable political stance to take; the harm is that it (a) says they are illegal; (b) includes JERUSALEM and all the other areas across the '49 armistice lines; and therefore (c) contradicts/negates the primary parameters of (still in effect) international legal structures pertaining to our conflict, namely the Mandate designating this as the national home of the Jewish people, the '49 UN recognition of Israel in temporary borders, and the '67 UNSC resolution 242 explicitly recognizing Israel's claim to its land beyond the '49 armistice lines in areas illegally occupied by Jordan.


3. The harm, then, adds to the growing and painfully obvious understanding by the Arabs, "Palestinians", and their supporters, that (a) Israel is not legitimate, (b) Israel's claims to land beyond the '49 armistice lines are illegitimate, and (c) they need do nothing, concede nothing, compromise on nothing, not least acknowledging Israel's very right to exist (and cease campaigning for its destruction) or negotiate to bring an end to the conflict.


The US not vetoing it is equivalent to it supporting it, plain and simple. No amount of politicking and wordsmithing can ameliorate this. Your appeal to a "unanimous" vote is absurd, considering the identity of all those voting, let alone the pre-conceived (mis)perceptions involved. Hence the across-the-board calls to the administration to veto, and condemnation of the abstention, from Dems and Repubs, right and left - except of course JStreet and Peace Now. (Ironic, when we recognize how far this pushes away any real prospect for peace in the near or mid-future.) Now we hear news of actual collusion behind the scenes, hardly surprising, as neither Egypt nor New Zealand, let alone the UK and France, would work on anything this significant without in-depth consultations with the US. Duh.


If you/others cannot see how this UNSC resolution impedes rather than promotes peace; encourages rather than discourages war and conflict, intolerance and hatred; and damages the US and UN reputations with their allies and in the Western world, while encouraging anti-Israel (anti-Semitic, by definition) forces around the world and all the tyrants now active in the Middle East, especially Iran, Russia, Syria, Turkey and Hamas & Fatah... then perhaps it's time to refer you to the massive shock and public rejection expressed by leaders of the opposition (your beloved Left) here in Israel, as well as the unity mentioned above in US political circles.


Sorry for the run-on sentence and slight rant.... You may have noticed I haven't only reduced my involvement in these sorts of exchanges, I've also reduced my Fb posting. In my recent experience, the only success I've had in opening people's minds is in personal interaction, during my talks or private conversations.


Most of you know me as a true centrist in both the American and Israeli contexts and a moderate in most things, political and religious included; I am doing less and less of this sort of arguing online and in email exchanges as I see more and more of the radical Left and extreme Right simply revert to their received wisdom irrespective of fact or history or the behavior of involved parties. Unfortunately, this is reflected in electioneering and voting in the US as well as in misguided policy by Obama, Kerry, Clinton and others. (And to be even-handed, I imagine will continue, in other directions, with the new administration as well. But we can hope for change, as it were, perhaps. Whether with this president, or the next, or the next... eventually I have faith in the re-assertion of common sense in American foreign policy.)


:-)


So... I'm focused now on raising investment funds for our company building solar electricity fields in Africa and on publishing my book about hiking the Israel Trail (anyone with ideas or contacts in the publishing industry pls let me know). Ah yes, and organizing a speaking tour for late Jan/early Feb, not least to talk a bit about the myths and madness of the Middle East and re-asserting the legitimacy of Israel and Zionism.


I wish each of you, and your families, a wonderful Chanukah, celebrating *not* the "dedication" of people (ala Obama last night) nor the miracle of 7 extra days of oil but rather the miracle of the regaining of the Jewish people's national sovereignty in our land and the reassertion of our control over our own destiny, as well as the miracle of life as we know it (how oil burns and provides light and warmth to us all)....


With fond regards - Chag Sameach -


Aryeh


* Here's a link to a documentary about Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflict called "Hijacking the Holy Land" in which I'm featured at 9 mins, 10:30, and 34 mins, just for fun:


















The Truth on Israel Palestine Conflict


http://shroudofturinnews.com/israel-palestine-conflict-reasons-to-seek-the-truth History on Israel Palestine Conflict - News Update-Israelis in the towns and...


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