Abbas, Malaysia and the UN – perfect partners
It is said that marriages are made in heaven. However, when it comes to Abbas, Malaysia and the United Nations we can confidently claim that their partnerships were forged in hell.
Michael Kuttner
There is no doubt whatsoever that this “marriage” is one of mutual admiration. On the one hand, you have the leader of an authority which rewards murderers of Israelis and whose term of office expired fourteen years ago. Add a ninety-three-year-old Prime Minister whose Jew-hatred is on full display and throw in an international body which has been corrupted by the majority of its members and you have a perfect recipe for a toxic brew.
Recent developments have illustrated the sorry state of international affairs and the hypocritical double standards to which the UN has sunk.
Abbas, representing a non-state has been elevated by the UN to head the G77 plus China. This bloc of 134 nations in the General Assembly now has as its President the leader of a non-nation which misses no opportunity to vilify, demonize and libel Israel. One did not have to be a genius to predict that from the moment he assumed this position he and his colleagues would launch a barrage of baseless accusations safe in the knowledge that the majority of members will faithfully follow.
Thus it has transpired. Now that he has the bit between his teeth and confident of having the backing of China and Russia plus the silence of others suffering from moral cowardice the avalanche of anti-Israel resolutions is about to be let loose.
Here is what we can expect based on already announced intentions.
The notorious “Zionism is racism” resolution which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1975 and revoked only in 1991 will be reintroduced. This time around with a tame majority already in the bag the prospects of having this travesty of the truth adopted are very high. Australia is bound to vote against but one wonders which way New Zealand will vote. Will it join the moral minority or shut its eyes and hold its nose while it abstains hoping thereby to please everybody? The readoption of such a resolution will undoubtedly unleash a torrent of abuse against Israel and Jews worldwide.
The next objective of the newly appointed head of the 134 bloc will be to demand that the United Nations provide a “protective” force to save the Palestinian Arabs from the cruel Israelis. No mention, of course, will be made of the murderous attempts to kill Israelis and the daily incitement including hate education in PA and UNRWA schools.
A favourite recurring theme is that Israelis and Jews defile Muslim and Christian Holy Sites. In making these accusations the PA is aided and abetted by Jordan which cloaks itself in the holy mantle of “protector” of religious freedom in Jerusalem. Conveniently and deliberately ignored of course is the fact that this so-called champion of moral purity was responsible for the destruction of Synagogues and ethnic cleansing of Jews prior to 1967. This inconvenient truth is shamefully swept under the carpet by politically correct Israeli politicians.
More outrageous assertions and resolutions will inevitably follow not only at the General Assembly but also at associated bodies. The net result will be increased demands to leave and defund.
Malaysia has always refused to recognize the legitimacy of Israel and has been an enthusiastic supporter of conspiracy theories. It has enthusiastically joined other “enlightened” Islamic nations in condemning the Jewish State for every conceivable crime and barring Israeli citizens from entering the country. It has recently reelected a veteran and unrepentant Jew hater as its Prime Minister. Among his first acts was to bar entry to Israeli Para Olympic swimmers preventing them from competing in the international competition and thereby diminishing their prospects of qualifying for Olympic competition later on.
The international federation governing this sport expressed “disappointment” which is about as effective as a limp slap on the wrist. Malaysia’s decision attracted immediate enthusiastic support from Hamas and other Arab and Islamic sources which tells you everything you need to know about the real situation. Outrage and demands to shift the competition to another country have been muted and few and far between which sums up the pathetic state of international morality only too well.
I have been waiting to hear expressions of disgust and demands for action from the New Zealand Government and opposition legislators. After all, both NZ and Malaysia are co-sponsors of the recent UN resolution which delegitimizes the Jewish connection to Jerusalem and other historically Jewish areas. Does this silence from NZ mean that once again it is complicit in siding with a country notorious for promoting anti-Israel and Jewish phobias?
Partners in crime seem to be a troubling recurring theme these days.
Michael Kuttner is a Jewish New Zealander who for many years was actively involved with various communal organisations connected to Judaism and Israel. He now lives in Israel and is J-Wire’s correspondent in the region.
