Sound and Fury

Sound and Fury

Addressing the 67th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on 29 September 2012, New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully drew attention to the use of the veto by some members of the Security Council. Mr McCully said in his General Debate Statement that it was “. . . difficult to overstate the extent to which the Security Council is at risk of losing its credibility in the eyes of reasonable and fair minded people through its inability to act.”

At a time when yet another Palestinian fisherman has been killed and another seriously wounded while illegal enforcement by the Israeli Navy of crippling fishing restrictions upon the Gaza fishing industry continues, it is certainly timely to reflect on the failure of the United Nations to uphold international law. In that regard it would also be timely to consider the negative influence of the frequent use by the United States of its veto to frustrate the will of the world community regarding Israel's non-compliance with international humanitarian law.

The US has, through its veto, supported Israeli colonialism in the West Bank and Israeli aggression against its neighbours, effectively preventing any solution based on either international law or UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. The US has used its veto on scores of occasions to prevent sanctions from being imposed upon Israel, a UN member state that thumbs its nose at international humanitarian law, belligerently occupying and ethnically cleansing the Palestinian people and brutally denying them their UN-sanctioned right of return. Israel's illegal settlements continue to grow in defiance of UN Security Council Resolution 446, which defines the presence of Israel's settlement colonies as a “serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.”

New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister, however, has declared his faith in rewarding Israel, as exemplified through his fervent support for Israel's application for OECD membership, effectively encouraging Israel's Prime Minister in his repeated assertions that East Jerusalem belongs to an "eternal and indivisible" capital of Israel. While McCully claims that rewarding Israel is in the interest of what he calls 'dialogue', Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu continues to lay down unacceptable pre-conditions. So long as Israel does not have to pay a price for continuing the military occupation of Palestinian territory it is hardly likely that it will abandon its present course.

United States use of the veto

The US has used its Security Council veto:

In 1982, to avoid sanctions against Israel for occupying Syria’s Golan Heights. Also in 1982, to save Israel (3 vetoes) from condemnation over its invasion of Lebanon. In 1983, to avoid condemning Israel over the slaughter of civilians in the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila. In 1986, to prevent the passing of a resolution criticising Israel’s hijacking of a Libyan civilian aircraft. In 1989, to stop the United Nations Security Council passing a declaration condemning Israeli violence in the Palestinian occupied territories and demanding compliance with the Fourth Geneva Convention regarding the human rights of populations living under belligerent military occupation. In 1997, to prevent the passing of a resolution denouncing the construction by Israel of Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem's Mount Abu Ghuneim area. In 2001, fearing the monstrous nature of the Israeli Occupation would become more apparent, to obstruct the UN Security Council in accepting a resolution that would permit the creation of an international observer group to act to protect Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. In 2002, to prevent the passing of a resolution condemning Israel for killing several UN workers. In 2003, to ensure the continued growth of Israel's annexation Wall, the illegality of which has been pronounced by the World Court.

Having fretted his hour upon the stage it is certain that when next the United States misuses its veto, New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister will be heard no more upon this theme – and McCully's sound and fury will be shown to have signified nothing.

Leslie Bravery – 3 October 20

Palestine Human Rights Campaign www.palestine.org.nz

ENDS

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