Trending Topics
|
Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-goldstone-20110404,0,5871957.story
Israel and the UN
(Chicago Tribune) Editorial - Israeli leaders have complained for years that the UN is biased against the Jewish state, that it judges almost every action of Israel through a Palestinian prism. And now, evidence that the entire enterprise was skewed against Israel from the start. "Skewed" is not our word. It's Goldstone's. He writes that he "insisted on changing the original mandate adopted by the Human Rights Council, which was skewed against Israel." He writes of "the UN Human Rights Council, whose history of bias against Israel cannot be doubted." Israel didn't target civilians. Hamas did. It sent hundreds of rockets into Israeli towns. The report called on Israel and Hamas to investigate their soldiers' actions. Israel did. Hamas didn't. The UN should formally retract the Goldstone report. But it can't stop there. The UN needs to acknowledge that it has not been an honest broker in the Middle East. It needs to acknowledge that its human rights panel continues to be an embarrassment that greatly undermines the standing of the world body. The New York Times reported Sunday that the UN may vote this fall to recognize a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem. The UN does not have the moral authority for such a declaration. It has not been an honest broker. Not even close.