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The False Symmetry of UN Security Council Resolution 1860
[Jerusalem Post] Dore Gold - Reading UN Security Council Resolution 1860 on the Gaza conflict, one would not be aware that Israel has been under constant rocket attacks since 2001. Moreover, Resolution 1860 demands that Israel "ensure the sustained reopening of crossing points" between Israel and Gaza, as though the cessation of rocket fire and the opening of the crossing points are symmetric demands. Israel should not pay anything to get Hamas to stop firing rockets which is an act of outright aggression. When Iraq invaded Kuwait, the Security Council did not seek Kuwaiti concessions alongside its demand of Iraq to withdraw. In addition, Israel is not required under international law to trade with a neighbor if it prefers not to. Israel, with the backing of the Western powers, decided to embargo the Hamas regime in Gaza. Trade embargos are a state's inherent right, like the U.S. embargo of Iran or Cuba. To compel Israel to open the Gaza crossing points is to deny Israel a valid economic instrument to exercise its right to self-defense against a regime that seeks its eradication. The writer served as Israel's ambassador to the UN and today is president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.