Thank You, Mr. Danforth
Amb. John Danforth, U.S. Representative to the United Nations, addressed the Security Council yesterday as he cast the U.S. veto of the “Resolution Addressing the Situation in the Middle East.” While we dislike the penultimate sentence and wish he would swear off use of the phrase “peace process,” Mr. Danforth’s remarks are a welcome object lesson in the value of American principles against UN diplomacy:
Amb. John Danforth, U.S. Representative to the United Nations, addressed the Security Council yesterday as he cast the U.S. veto of the “Resolution Addressing the Situation in the Middle East.” While we dislike the penultimate sentence and wish he would swear off use of the phrase “peace process,” Mr. Danforth’s remarks are a welcome object lesson in the value of American principles against UN diplomacy:
“We have before us yet another resolution regarding the Middle East situation. And, once again, the resolution is lopsided and unbalanced; it is dangerously disingenuous because of its many material omissions. Because of this lack of balance, because of these omissions, the resolution lacks credibility and deserves a ‘no’ vote.
“As you consider the current resolution, I ask you to perform a simple analysis. Consider first what the resolution says, and then what it fails to say. The resolution ‘condemns’ Israel’s military actions in Gaza; it criticizes ‘incursions’ into the Jabaliya refugee camp; it condemns Israeli acts of ‘destruction,’ and it laments ‘extensive human casualties’ among Palestinians. It ‘demands’ that Israel, as the ‘occupying power,’ withdraw its forces immediately. Tough words.
“The United States has no problem with tough words, but only when they are accurate and there is balance.
“Now consider what this resolution does not say. It does not mention even one of the 450 Qassam rocket attacks launched against Israel over the past two years. It does not mention two hundred rockets launched this year alone. It does not mention the two Israeli children who were outside playing last week when a rocket suddenly crashed into their young bodies. It does not mention the undisputed fact that Qassam rockets have no military purpose – that they are crude, imprecise devices of terror designed to kill civilians. It does not mention that Hamas took ‘credit’ for killing these Israeli children and maiming many other Israeli civilians – calling these deaths and woundings a ‘victory.’ It does not mention that the terrorists hide among Palestinian civilians, provoking their deaths, and then use those deaths as fodder for their hatred, lawlessness, and efforts to derail the peace process. It does not mention the complete failure of the Palestinian authority to meet its commitments to establish security among its people. It does not mention any of these facts, nor does it acknowledge the legitimate need for Israel to defend itself. The resolution is totally lacking in balance.
“There is an old saying that silence indicates consent. The silence here today is deafening…
“The resolution today not only encourages the terrorists; it will not do anything prevent the predictable Israeli response. Ultimately, a resolution like this emboldens terrorists, encourages counterattacks, and contributes to the ultimate terrorist goal of derailing the peace process.
“The Security Council should reverse the incessant stream of one anti-Israel resolution after the other, and apply pressure even handedly, on both sides, to return to the road to peace. The United States will vote ‘no’ on this resolution.”