(Boston Herald) Jeffrey Robbins - Palestinians who profess to simply want an independent state have repeatedly thumbed their noses at the opportunity to have one, rejecting peace offers and rebuffing negotiations that would lead to one. What they prefer to do is use a UN that is in the tank to the Islamic bloc to promote resolutions that blame Israel for everything. Friday's UN vote condemning Israel makes no distinction whatsoever for housing units in neighborhoods that the parties have already agreed will remain part of Israel in any deal. As such, the vote is just another Palestinian-driven move intended to divert attention from their central responsibility for this long-running strife. No wonder the Palestinians hailed the UN vote as a "day of victory," since any day that enables them to slam Israel rather than take responsibility for their own predicament is a good day. The Obama administration's abstention on the resolution and its refusal to veto it makes us complicit in encouraging hard-liners in the Arab world, and those who indulge them, to believe that they are better off avoiding peace than making it. The writer is a former U.S. delegate to the UN Human Rights Commission.
2016-12-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive