(Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Alan Baker - The recent tragic act of terrorism and hatred that caused the murder of a Palestinian child is deserving of utter condemnation and repudiation by all elements of society, and has indeed been so condemned and rejected. Yet UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's statement on July 31 that arbitrarily links this heinous act to the "absence of a political process and Israel's illegal settlement policy, as well as the harsh and unnecessary practice of demolishing Palestinian houses" is nothing more than a regrettable politicization of what should be a straightforward message of sorrow and condolence. He cannot and should not render a political determination declaring that the event was caused by the lack of a political process or by Israel's settlement policy. Reviewing his condemnations of terrorist attacks elsewhere, none arbitrarily proffer political value judgments. Thus, as in most issues regarding Israel, the classical UN double-standard would appear to be applied. Amb. Alan Baker, former legal adviser and deputy director-general of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, participated in the drafting of the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians.
2015-08-06 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive