[Peace-discuss] Obama supports Israel's collective punishment of Gaza

[Robert Naiman]

US policy is worse than this might suggest. Some might suppose that
the US would have been ok with a resolution if it were "evenhanded,"
ie, if it mentioned the rocket attacks.

But, according to this IPS story, the US refused to support the
resolution, even after it was amended to address US concerns about the
rocket attacks, and though it was drafted by EU diplomats:

U.S. Stymies Security Council Action on Gaza
Haider Rizvi, Inter Press Service, Jan 23
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40895

Despite intensifying calls for international pressure to address the
fast deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip, observers and some
diplomats say the U.N. Security Council has proved as ineffective as
it has been for many years concerning issues related to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

On Tuesday, the Council called an emergency meeting during which a
vast majority of delegates strongly condemned Israel's blockade of the
occupied Palestinian areas and charged that it was violating
international humanitarian law. Yet at the end of the day, the Council
failed to adopt a draft presidential statement calling for Israel "to
ensure unhindered access for humanitarian assistance to the
Palestinian people and to open the border crossings to facilitate the
passage of exports and imports to the Gaza Strip."

Why? Because it was not acceptable to the U.S. delegation, a diplomat
present at the meeting told IPS. The U.S. rejected the first draft
statement because it did not cover Israeli concerns about rocket fire
by Palestinian militants into its territory.

The Council called another meeting Wednesday, but failed to issue a
presidential statement based on the third draft, which, according to
the source, was prepared by the diplomats representing the European
Union. "We were hoping…but unfortunately we have not agreed," South
African ambassador Dumisani Kumalo told reporters about the outcome of
the Wednesday's meeting, adding that "everybody (in the Council) said
they wanted the Security Council to speak out."
…
A European diplomat said the U.S. objected to the latest draft, even
though it addresses concerns about rocket fire by the Palestinians
into southern Israel. According to him, without explaining the
sticking points, the U.S. delegates said they needed more time to
consult with Washington.

On Jan 25, 2008 5:39 PM, C. G. Estabrook <galliher at uiuc.edu> wrote:
> [As if there weren't already more than enough reasons already to reject the
> odious Obama, consider the letter he sent to Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S.
> ambassador to the UN, on the Security Council's meeting regarding the situation
> in Gaza.  As he asked, he US blocked the council from issuing a statement.--CGE]
>
>
>      Dear Ambassador Khalilzad,
>
>      I understand that today the U.N. Security Council met regarding the
> situation in Gaza, and that a resolution or statement could be forthcoming from
> the Council in short order.
>
>      I urge you to ensure that the Security Council issue no statement and pass
> no resolution on this matter that does not fully condemn the rocket assault
> Hamas has been conducting on civilians in Southern Israel for over two years.
>
>      All of us are concerned about the impact of closed border crossings on
> Palestinian families. However, we have to understand why Israel is forced to do
> this. Gaza is governed by Hamas, which is a terrorist organization sworn to
> Israel's destruction, and Israeli civilians are being bombarded by rockets on an
> almost daily basis. That is unacceptable and Israel has a right to respond while
> seeking to minimize any impact on civilians.
>
>      The Security Council should clearly and unequivocally condemn the rocket
> attacks against Israel, and should make clear that Israel has the right to
> defend itself against such actions. If it cannot bring itself to make these
> common sense points, I urge you to ensure that it does not speak at all.
>
>      Sincerely,
>
>      Barack Obama
>      United States Senator
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>



-- 
Robert Naiman
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org