Most reasonable nations have responded with anger to Israel’s plan to build 3,000 more colonist homes in the West Bank — and rightly so.
The move to ramp up construction was a knee-jerk reaction by the Jewish state to the UN General Assembly’s overwhelming support for recognising Palestine as a nation state — with Britain, Sweden and France all deciding to haul Israeli ambassadors on the mat for the new colony homes. However, chastising diplomats simply is not enough when it comes cutting the West Bank in two if the new colony goes ahead.
In letters sent late on Monday to the UN Secretary-General, the Security Council and the General Assembly, Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour said at the same time as Palestine’s leadership reaffirmed their readiness to begin peace negotiations, “Israel continues to flagrantly pursue its illegal policies and practices”. And he rightly castigated Tel Aviv’s actions as sheer provocation.
What the Jewish state needs to remember is that the UN vote of recognition also reaffirmed the internationally backed just-goal of seeing both states living side by side in peace.
By rejecting recognition, Israel is also rejecting the notion of peace — and its actions in the Gaza Strip are ample evidence that it harbours the means and the intent to wipe out Palestinians.
Sadly, the likelihood of the Security Council condemning Tel Aviv for its policy of ghetto-isation is minute. With the US walking in lockstep with the Israeli leadership, any language which condemns Tel Aviv will be struck out from the records. The willingness of Washington to veto action or sanctions against Israel is becoming tired.
What is needed is not just a vote of recognition from the General Assembly, but words and acts of leaders who are committed to a fair and just solution — ones who are willing to tell Israel that its deeds against the Palestinian people cannot go unpunished any more. The UN Security Council needs to commit itself to treating Palestine on the same footing as any other nation.
