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CounterPunch
October
10, 2002
What Bush Didn't
Say to the UN
The Case Against
Israel
by WILLIAM A. COOK
In his Cincinnati address, before an audience
of 700 hand-selected yea-sayers, President Bush pushed once again
his third foreign policy doctrine: the UN must enforce its resolutions
or become irrelevant leaving the correction of world problems
to the Emperor of the only world super power, George the "Wunderkind."
Since he was unable to provide any substantive evidence that
would necessitate war with Iraq, the ostensible purpose of this
speech, he had to rely on a rationale with substance. Indeed,
Iraq has not complied with 16 UN resolutions and, therefore,
must be forced to comply, with military force if necessary.
But Bush forgot to mention that almost
all the resolutions are years old deflating the immediacy of
their enforcement now; that other nations including the US and
Israel have not complied with UN resolutions; that the business
of enforcement is the responsibility of the UN membership, not
the prerogative of a single nation, super power or not; and that
opening the door to resolution enforcement requires equity of
treatment against all nations that have defied the UN. Extending
logic that far would negate the purpose of Bush's talk, to convince
the uninitiated that war is necessary.
This man has no shame. Having delivered
the same meaningless message to the UN on the 12th of September,
he reiterates this beefless argument in his Cincinnati address
to the citizens of America as he rushes to war stealing the Constitutional
right of Congress to declare war and turn America from a peaceful
nation to the preeminent warmonger in the world.
Consider the hypocrisy of the President's
address to the UN concerning Iraq. His blistering diatribe against
Saddam Hussein, delivered as he prepares America to launch yet
another war against an Arab state, not only enunciated the latest
Bush Doctrine (the enforcement of UN resolutions against rogue
states that defy them) but accused Saddam of flagrant acts against
humanity while hypocritically ignoring his administration's support
for a regime that makes Saddam look like the Archangel Michael,
the regime of Ariel Sharon in Israel. Consider the points of
grievance the President raised against Saddam and apply them
to Israel.
1. Iraq invaded Kuwait: Israel has invaded
and has occupied territory owned by Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine
against international law and countless UN resolutions dating
back to 1948. Israel occupied most of the cities in Palestine
before May 1948: Tiberias, Haifa, and Jafa in April, and Beisan,
Safad, and Acre in May. Israel now occupies 8 of the 9 principal
cities in the Palestinian territories. Unlike the aggression
in Kuwait, the US did not lead a coalition of nations against
Israeli invasion and, consequently, the land now under Israeli
dominance approximates 78% of the land formerly owned by the
Palestinians. Ironically that resolution provided only 55% of
the territory for the Israeli state.
2. Iraq was poised to continue their
march to seize other countries and resources and has failed to
comply with UN imposed commitments following the Iraq War of
1991: Iraq did not continue its march because of the 1991 war;
Israel, however, did march against other countries in 1967 and
has continued to defy UN resolutions to withdraw from those illegally
occupied lands. Even more brazenly, it has established over 30
settlements since Sharon became Prime Minister, not counting
those created before him, with populations now exceeding 400,000,
all against international law. No coalition has attempted to
stop Israel's aggression and occupation nor has the President
raised this defiance of UN resolutions as a threat to peace nor
has he demanded that Israel comply with international law and
cease occupation of illegally obtained land and remove the illegal
settlements from Palestinian territory.
3. Saddam has defied the UN by not complying
with 16 UN resolutions: Israel has defied the UN by not responding
or complying with 68 resolutions not counting the resolution
imposed two weeks ago. The resolutions charged Saddam with repression
of his people, especially minorities, and this threatens international
peace and security in the region. Israel has been asked to "stop
violating human rights in the Arab territories, desist from destroying
homes of the Arab civilian population, and respect and implement
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Geneva Conventions
of August 1949." Israel's defiance amounts to sadism, it
even taxes the Humanitarian supplies brought in to alleviate
the suffering of the Palestinian people who are forced to stay
inside their homes because of Israeli imposed curfews. Resolutions
of like wording, including citation of torture, imprisonment,
and wanton destruction of homes, continue to be issued by the
UN even now; and Israel defies every one of them.
4. Iraq has failed to return prisoners
in numbers reaching approximately 600: Israel has refused to
allow the return of over one million Palestinian refugees to
their homeland despite UN resolutions demanding that they do
so.
The conclusion drawn from this defiance
by Iraq is, according to the President, "a threat to the
authority of the United Nations and to peace." Replace Iraq
with Israel and the President's allegation carries more substance.
Despite the fact that Iraq no longer
occupies territory owned by another state; despite the fact that
its present military is considered to be one third the size and
power it maintained in 1991; despite the fact that the UN inspections
removed up to 90% of its weapons capability by 1998; despite
the fact that it does not possess nuclear weaponry while Iran
and Israel do, the President demands that Iraq disarm unconditionally.
Yet Israel has nuclear capability, has the fourth largest military
operation in the world, has actively occupied Palestinian territory
while killing women and children in the vain attempt to stop
suicide bombers thus showing its willingness to be an aggressor
even if it means mimicking the destruction of innocents caused
by extremist groups like Hamas, and causes as a result the instability
in the mid-east that has overflowed into the terrorist acts visited
upon the US: but the President says nothing!
Perhaps if Israel does what the President
demands of Iraq, peace will come to the mid-east: return stolen
property, cooperate with the international community to resolve
the issues that divide, allow free movement of reporters throughout
the territories so that a new openness and accountability will
blossom, and create and abide by a constitution that guarantees
freedom and equality for all who live within the state. Then
perhaps the statement made by the President would have credibility:
"Free societies do not intimidate through cruelty and conquest
the world must move deliberately and decisively to hold Israel
to accountthe Security Council resolutions will be enforced
the just demands of peace and security will be met. And a regime
that has lost its legitimacy will also lose its power."
Can there be any doubt that the President's
new Doctrine applies more credibly to Israel than it does to
Iraq? Should the UN not demand that he level these charges equitably?
What other resolution is there?
William Cook
is a professor of English at the University of La Verne in southern
California. He can be reached at: cookb@ULV.EDU
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