World-Wide Blitz against Israel
6 Adar 5767, February 24, '07
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
(IsraelNN.com) The United Nations, Russia, Arab states and the
media have escalated an international broadside against Israel
while touting the Hamas-Fatah coalition.
A report by the U.N. Human Rights Council has provided the
background for the Arab position, backed by Russia, that the
Western-led economic boycott of Hamas must be lifted in order to
fight poverty in the Gaza area.
The council report was commissioned to John Dugard, who formerly
campaigned against South Africa apartheid and who concluded that
the racist policy is similar to that of Israel. He defined Jews as
a "race" and charged that the Israeli army is guilty of terror
worse than that of Arab terrorists. Dugard's draft is to be
published next month in a full report by the U.N.
Dugard wrote that "Israel's laws and practices in the [Palestinian
Authority (PA)] certainly resemble aspects of apartheid. Can it
seriously be denied that the purpose of such action is to establish
and maintain domination by one racial group, Jews, over another
racial group, Palestinians, and systematically oppress them?"
The report accuses Israel of terror by flying jets that set off
sonic booms, forcing "residents to live in fear of settler terror."
Dugard also alleges that Israel still is "occupying" the Gaza
region despite the expulsion of Jewish residents from their
communities and the handover of the land to the PA. "Gaza became a
sealed off, imprisoned and occupied territory," he wrote.
He cited Arabs for committing war crimes by attacking Israel with
Kassam rockets, but added that the IDF has "committed such crimes
on a much greater scale."
U.N. Report Ignores Economic Aid to PA
Media throughout the world have headlined the report's assertion
that Israeli "restrictions on trade and movement" have created
conditions where "the poorest families are now living a meager
existence totally reliant on assistance, with no electricity or
heating and eating food prepared with water from bad
sources."
The report's timing "is especially sensitive, coming to light after
both Israel and the U.S. indicated that they will maintain the
boycott after the planned Fatah-Hamas coalition cabinet takes
office unless it clearly commits itself to recognition of Israel,
renunciation of violence and adherence to previous agreements with
Israel," noted the London Independent.
The report ignores aid that has been redirected through the offices
of PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in order to bypass Hamas, leaving the
PA as one of the world's largest recipients of foreign economic
aid. The International Monetary Fund (International Monetary Fund
(IMF) has reported that the PA received $709 million in aid in
2006, double the amount received in 2005.
The aid figures do not include hundreds of millions of dollars
invested by various U.N. agencies in Gaza.
In addition, Hamas leaders have smuggled more than $60 million into
Gaza.
Another report by a U.N. agency and published by Reuters News
Agency blames Israel's attack on Gaza's "only power station" for
leaving the "Occupied Palestinian Territories" without electricity.
However, Dugard does not mention that Israel's Ashkelon power plant
also provides electricity to many PA residents.
Britain To Deal with 'Moderate' Hamas Elements
The increasing blame on Israel for problems in the PA, along with
the mounting pressure from Russia have contributed to a change in
the policy of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has indicated
he is prepared to deal with Hamas.
"It is far easier to deal with the situation in Palestine if there
is a national unity government," he said. "I hope we can make
progress, including even with the more sensible elements of
Hamas."
The United States has been the staunchest opponent of lifting the
sanctions against Hamas, but American Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice has conceded that Abbas out-maneuvered Israel by
collaborating with Hamas to form a unity government, which she
stated has made the situation "more complicated."
The result was a meeting this week between her, Abbas and Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert, that analysts agreed was an exercise in
rhetoric, although the conversation included angry shouts between
the Israeli and PA leaders.
Mashaal To Visit Moscow
The Quartet so far has insisted Hamas meet international demands,
but the terrorist organization continues to drum up international
support, starting with Russia, one of the members of the Quartet.
Syrian-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal is scheduled to visit
Moscow from Sunday to Tuesday, as Moscow continues to ignore
Israeli pleas that international powers not conduct talks with
leaders of the Hamas organization.
Abbas, the leader of the Fatah movement, has been courting European
nations, claiming that the unity government is committed to meeting
international conditions even though Hamas explicitly refuses to do
so. Fatah has paid lip-service to the conditions, but terrorist
attacks by Fatah terrorists continue almost daily. Abbas also has
conditioned his "recognition of Israel' on demands, which every
recent Israeli government has categorically stated are
unreasonable.
Abbas has said a Jewish state could be recognized only after
Jerusalem becomes the capital of a new Arab country and millions of
Arabs in foreign countries are allowed to live in Israel.
Abbas's problem is that "Hamas is considered to be more powerful
than Fatah," according to Turi Munthe, associate fellow at the
Royal United Service Institute in London.
Muslim States Pressuring Quartet
A group of 57 Muslim countries meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia has
agreed to step up pressure and try to force the Quartet to lift the
economic sanctions against Hamas. The Organization of Islamic
Conference (OIC) also continues to accuse Israel of endangering the
Al Aksa mosque by conducting archaeological operations near the
Temple Mount.
"In light of the positive developments in Palestine and formation
of the national unity government, the international embargo against
Palestinians has no justification," said Ekmel Al Deen Ihsanoglu,
Secretary-General of the OIC.
He called on the Arab countries, including oil-rich kingdoms, to
provide financial and moral support to Jerusalem Arabs and the
Palestinian Authority (PA).