5 Sivan 5778
19 May 2018
Quote of the Day
“At a time when Venezuela lurches toward dictatorship, Iran imprisons thousands of political opponents, and ethnic cleansing has taken place in Burma, the UN’s so-called Human Rights Council has decided to launch an investigation into a democratic country’s legitimate defense of its own border against terrorist attacks. This is another shameful day for human rights.”
Nikki Haley, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, speaking after the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) voted to set up a commission of inquiry about the recent events on the Gaza Border.
No person speaks with more moral clarity than Nikki Haley. At a time when moral bankruptcy has become a defining characteristic of the liberal western world, Haley’s voice stands out more strongly than ever.
For more on the UNHRC decision, see today’s blog below.
The News on the Israeli Street
Has the time come to pay the piper? . . .
It was widely reported yesterday that President Trump will present his long-awaited “peace plan” during the last two weeks of June after the end of Ramadan.
Trump has said all along that there is no quid pro quo expected from Israel in return for his recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and his moving the Embassy there.
But he has also said that there will be elements of his “peace plan” that Israel “hates.” Details to that effect have already been leaked including the setting up of the “capital of Palestine” in four Arab neighborhoods of eastern Jerusalem, and the proposal that the Old City of Jerusalem come under international supervision.
Both of these “details” are non-starters for most Israelis so it should be interesting to see what happens when the plan is put on the table.
Speaking of the Trump Administration . . .
It was also leaked yesterday that the Trump Administration has decided to withdraw completely from northwest Syria–thereby fulfilling a promise Trump made to pull American forces out as soon as Islamic State was defeated.
This essentially leaves the Kurds hung out to dry and means that they are the only force stopping the Shi’ite highway between Tehran and Beirut from becoming fully operational.
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President Trump is apparently depending on the Russians to get the Iranians out of Syria–and indeed yesterday, the Russians did call for Iran and Hezbollah to leave the country.
However, the chance of Iran leaving is somewhere between slim and none.
Today’s Blog
“This is another shameful day for human rights.”
Another infamous vote from the United Nations.
29 countries shamefully voted “Yes”, 14 countries shamefully “Abstained”, and only 2 countries (the United States and Australia) bravely voted “No.”
Before the vote on the proposal, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Jordanian Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, ranted this:
” . . . they [Palestinians in Gaza] are, in essence, caged in a toxic slum from birth to death; deprived of dignity; dehumanized by the Israeli authorities to such a point it appears officials do not even consider that these men and women have a right, as well as every reason, to protest.”
No word about the fact that Gaza is completely governed by Palestinians; no word about the fact that Gaza shares a border and border crossing with Egypt; no word that protests take place daily in Gaza; no word that no violence would have taken place at all had not Hamas pushed its terrorists to try to infiltrate Israel.
Never mind any of that, the proposal that was approved yesterday called for (among other things) the commission to investigate “individual criminals” (read: “IDF soldiers”) who “intentionally fired” on “protesters.” This sentence alone describes how the conclusion has been reached before the investigation has taken place.
All in all, the proposal is a classic anti-Israel UN document of the type that we have repeatedly seen over the years. The commission it forms follows such others as the Schabas Commission which was formed after the 2014 war, and the infamous Goldstone Report.
And it will have the same effect as those other reports: none. As PM Netanyahu said today: it is completely “irrelevant.”
But that does not reduce the shame deserved by every country that voted in favor of the proposal and every country that abstained.
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.