Bad for Israel, Bad for the Palestinians and Bad for the World at Large

Friday’s vote at the UN Security council condemning Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) was no big deal really. There has been no shortage of blatantly anti-Israel and wholly disingenuous resolutions brought before the council. The big deal here is the US, allegedly, Israel’ greatest ally and benefactor, refusing to step in and veto the resolution. In a major departure from US policy, Barak Obama decided not to veto and not to support Israel at the UN.

In so doing, in my opinion, Barak Obama and John Kerry only confirm that they have learnt nothing over the past eight years. Throughout their tenure, they have never failed to make a wring move and take a wrong decision in regard to the Middle East, and so too with their final act concerning the region.

For sure, Netanyahu and his extreme right wing coalition partners brought this on themselves. The recent regulation bill, which seeks to legalise, illegal settlements which have been built on private Palestinian land, was an open invitation to the world to condemn Israel and its actions. The Israeli governments own legal advisor, made it clear to Netanyahu and his coalition that such a law was illegal in itself and that it would contravene international law. He stated clearly that it could not be defended in the Israeli High Court. However, the Israeli government continued unperturbed by the illegality of their actions, in an attempt to legalise theft with an illegal law.

This was pretty much red rag to a bull, in regard to the international community. So one might argue that Netanyahu and his government got pretty much what they deserved. One suspects however, that Obama’s decision was born not only out of frustration, but also, dare I say it, as an act of personal revenge against Netanyahu, an act wholly unbefitting a President. For, while perhaps Netanyahu and his coalition deserved what they got, the people of Israel, the people of Palestine and indeed all those interested in a genuine peace will suffer the consequences of yet one more, bad foreign policy decision on the part of Obama ad Kerry.

What does this resolution and Obama’s refusal to block the vote at the Security Council, actually achieve?

Well in regard to Israel, it drives the people straight into the arms of the right wing government which plays on the fears of ordinary Israelis and confirms what they have been saying all along, that Obama is anti-Israel and anti-Semitic and this horrendous act of betrayal only serves to confirm what we have been telling you for the past eight years. It tells Israelis that the holiest place in Judaism, the Kotel, and (Western Wall of the ancient Jewish temple in Jerusalem) is out of bounds and that it is essentially illegal for Jews to be there. Contrary to the statements of the US Ambassador to the UN, the resolution weakens the possibilities for the two state solutions if not killing it off all together. The current understanding between the parties that the major settlement blocks will remain and become part of Israel, as part of a land swap, is now brought into question. This resolution makes life much harder for the left wing in Israel to argue that Israel must negotiate in good faith with the Palestinians.

For Palestinians, this is a pyrrhic victory. As their leaders celebrate this historic victory at the UN, nothing will change on the ground, indeed the right wing in Israel have been handed a propaganda victory and will push for further settlement activity as a f*** you to the UN. This resolution now strengthens the notion amongst Palestinian leaders that in truth there is no need for them to negotiate with Israel directly, as they can achieve more with unilateral actions at the UN and in the EU.

Rather than adopt a pragmatic approach which could indeed improve the situation on the ground for their own people, an emboldened Palestinian leadership will now seek to capitalise on this supposed victory and continue in its attempt to undermine Israel and its legitimacy in the international community. But none of this will improve the lives of ordinary Palestinians. None of this will bring peace closer, just the opposite.

This resolution awards Mahmoud Abbas for his inaction and refusal to b=negotiate directly. It rewards him and his cronies for their duplicitous dealings, support of terror and ongoing corruption. It sends a clear message to a highly flawed Palestinian leadership that they should just keep doing what they are doing, basically condemning ordinary Palestinians to more of the same for the foreseeable future.

What this resolution does not do, is it does not promote peace between Israelis and Palestinians. It does not promote the UN as an unbiased broker in the region. It does not enhance Obama and Kerry’s reputation in foreign policy. This resolutions pushes Israel in to fortress mode. This resolutions provides the Palestinian leadership with more excuses to do nothing.

This resolution strengthens those who seek the destruction of the state of Israel and organisations like BDS, a hateful, anti-Semitic, anti-peace and wholly disingenuous movement which seeks only to demonise and delegitimise the Jewish state. For those around those around the world who seek a genuine peace and a just solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, this resolution does nothing more than drive the two sides further apart into more entrenched positions.

With his final act in the region, Obama has confirmed that when it comes to the Middle East he never ceases to fail to comprehend the region, its players and the consequences of his actions or inaction. He has been badly advised and never failed to make the wrong decision in regard to the region, the consequences of which are clear for all to see. Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, take your pick.

The UN has been no better, where their irrational obsession with Israel along with their criminal, lack of action and indeed any real desire to address the massive problems in the Middle East, particularly in Syria continues to be a source of shame, bringing into question the legitimacy of the organisation as a whole.

So too in regard to Israel and the Palestinians, Obama and Kerry and the UN have continued to be part of the problem rather than the solution. This latest resolution only serves to prove the point.