US administration will support UN resolution condemning Israeli "settlements"
The U.S. has informed Arab governments that it will support a U.N. Security Council statement reaffirming that the 15-nation body “does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity,” a move aimed at avoiding the prospect of having to veto a stronger Palestinian resolution calling the settlements illegal. [...]For the millionth time, we also spot moral equivalence in motion in several ways. Politico reports that Rep. Anthony Weiner, has announced that pro-Israel Democrats aren't going along with this. Let's hope not. He says:
Susan E. Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, outlined the new U.S. offer in a closed door meeting on Tuesday with the Arab Group, a bloc of Arab countries from North Africa and the Middle East. In exchange for scuttling the Palestinian resolution, the United States would support the council statement, consider supporting a U.N. Security Council visit to the Middle East, the first since 1979, and commit to supporting strong language criticizing Israel’s settlement policies in a future statement by the Middle East Quartet.
The U.S.-backed draft statement — which was first reported by Al Hurra — was obtained by Turtle Bay. In it, the Security Council “expresses its strong opposition to any unilateral actions by any party, which cannot prejudge the outcome of negotiations and will not be recognized by the international community, and reaffirms, that it does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity, which is a serious obstacle to the peace process.” The statement also condemns “all forms of violence, including rocket fire from Gaza, and stresses the need for calm and security for both peoples.”
This is too clever by half. Instead of doing the correct and principled thing and vetoing an inappropriate and wrong resolution, they now have opened the door to more and more anti-Israeli efforts coming to the floor of the U.N. The correct venue for discussions about settlements and the other aspects of a peace plan is at the negotiating table. Period.Ahem. There's NO negotiating with Islamists or anyone else over things like these. Period.
Update: as told over here, the consensus on Capitol Hill is that Obama really screwed up on this issue.
Labels: anti-semitism, dhimmitude, islam, Israel, United States
The US wants a Council statement while the Palestinians want a resolution.
Yup, its certainly inspiring confidence in the few remaining friends Washington has left in the Middle East.
Posted by NormanF | 2/17/2011 01:44:00 PM