Not so terrible?
Herb Keinon tries to put some perspective on the possibility that the United Nations will vote in September to recognize a 'Palestinian' One argument gaining currency is that if the UN General Assembly does indeed recognize a Palestinian state, then the minute it does so the 600,000 Israelis living in east Jerusalem and the West Bank will, under international law, be considered to be occupiers of another UN state, and international consequences in the form of sanctions are sure to be harsh and swift. But this is overwrought. Since the conquest of the Golan Heights in 1967, Israel has been viewed by the international community as occupying the territory of another country. Yet Israel was not ostracized, nor were sanctions leveled against it.I'm afraid that Keinon is being a little too optimistic. For example, I think he's too dismissive of the possibility that the UN will try to impose South Africa-type sanctions.
Furthermore, under international law there is no difference if one is occupying the territory of a sovereign country, as would be the case if the UN recognized a Palestinian state, or it is occupying non-sovereign territory, which is the case now in Judea and Samaria.
If the UN recognizes a Palestinian state in September, then the status of Israelis living there will be no different than the status of Israelis living for more than three decades on the Golan Heights. Granted, there is a cost for this over the long haul for Israel, in the region and in world opinion, but it is a stretch to say this will automatically change Israel’s legal position in the world.
But whether the General Assembly will recognize a Palestinian state in September is in itself a “big if.” And any UN move must be measured on three levels: What the declaration itself might say, what operational steps it will call for, and what are the implications of such a resolution.
Read the whole thing.
Labels: Palestinian state RIGHT NOW syndrome, United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Security Council
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:15 PM
2 Comments:
The Arabs have kept South Africa-style sanctions in place for decades and Israel has thrived in spite of them.
I think much of the talk of Israel's being isolated is overwrought. The UN can pass all the anti-Israel resolutions it wants but it won't change the reality on the ground.
Not in our lifetime.
What is this guy smoking? Does he think that Israeli police, ambulance services and the IDF will still be able to operate in "Palestine" to protect and help Israelis? That the property and income taxes paid by Israelis living in "Palestine" will be collected by Israel???
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