Today, the United Nations approved, by a narrow vote of 114-18, with 44 nations abstaining, an Arab supported resolution that endorses the Goldstone Report. This paves the way for the UN Security Council to consider the matter. What did we do, voted no, along with Canada and obviously only a handful of other countries.
The aforementioned report calls on Israel and the Palestinians to investigate the allegations of war crimes during last winter’s Gaza incursion.( The report is named for South African jurist and UN investigator Richard Goldstone.) Deputy US ambassador to the UN, Alexander Wolff, called the report”deeply flawed”. His main concerns were the lack of attention or mention of Hamas and the unbalanced focus on Israel.
Doubtless, the US would veto any Security council action. So, why is Israel concerned enough to say, via its UN Ambassador Gabriela Shalav, that granting any legitimate status to the report would essentially deny Israel “te right to defend ourselves.” That is quite important to them, existing as they do in the world’s toughest neighborhood, as its most isolated member.
Perhaps they watch events and listen to statements with increasing nervousness, some of these from their heretofore staunchest ally.
What do Israelis think about us and them? Prior to January, 2009, some 88% of them believe Bush wa s pro-Israel. In May, a Jerusalem Post poll discovered that 31% of them believed that about Obama. A similar poll just 3 months later showed a figure of 4%. Quite a precipitous drop. Joel Rosenberg referred to US Israel relations as a coming “train wreck”, just 7 months ago. Now, he thinks the situation has only worsened. Even if one is not very pro Israel, the above numbers represent a significant concern. Are we tending to tilt more Arab, seems to be so. Is that a good thing? I wonder.
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