From The Mideast Front

KIDDIE GAMES from page 7

In its latest moves last week, the bloc flexed its
muscles to deal Israel a double whammy
On Oct. 19, the Geneva-based Commission on
Human Rights passed a resolution accusing Israel
and its security forces of "war crimes" and "wide-
spread, systematic and gross violations of human
rights." No mention was made of Palestinian actions.
The vote was 19 in favor, 16 opposed, with 17
abstentions.
"This sinister resolution reflects hatred, utter
moral hypocrisy and blatantly selective standards,
while ignoring real human-rights abuses on the part
of the Palestinians, as well as the real causes of the
current violence," said Michael Colson, executive
director of the Geneva-based U.N. Watch.
While Colson and others singled out the U.N.
high commissioner for human rights, Mary
Robinson, for her "balanced assessment of the situa-
tion" prior to the vote, they were galled by those
who stood in judgment of the Jewish state.
"It was an opportunity for such human-rights
`stalwarts' as Cuba, Pakistan and Sudan to give vent
to their anti-Israel antagonism," said David Harris,
the chairman of U.N. Watch. "It is laughable to
have the commission lectured on Israel's human-
rights record by quintessential human-rights abusers
such as Algeria, Iraq, Iran and Syria."
Last Friday, the diplomatic victory for the
Palestinians was more resounding.
The General Assembly in New York assailed Israel
for its "excessive use of force" against Palestinian
civilians. The vote was 92-6, with 46 abstentions.
Israel's Foreign Ministry responded that the resolu-
tion was "totally one-sided and completely ignores
numerous incidents" and "ongoing acts of violence
on the part of the Palestinians."
However, as an Israeli diplomat noted, the assem-
bly resolution is "empty rhetoric," as the assembly
only has the power "to send faxes, not peacekeepers.

Votes That Count

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Indeed, while U.N. resolutions go a long way in
shaping world opinion, it is Security Council deci-
sions that pack the greatest punch. The 15-member
council has the authority to mandate, for example, a
peacekeeping mission, a war crimes tribunal, an
embargo — or an international inquiry.
The council's Oct. 7 resolution against Israel noted
the disproportionate number of Palestinian victims
without mentioning Jewish casualties; condemned
Israel's excessive use of force against civilians; omitted
the apparent unwillingness of Palestinian leaders to
rein in the rioters; and mentioned the Temple Mount
only by its Arabic name, Haram As-Sharif.
But to the relief of the Israelis, the resolution did
not mandate any specific action against Israel.
The resolution passed by a 14-0 vote, with the
United States, controversially, abstaining.
American officials said they abstained because they
didn't want to jeopardize their tenuous status as an
"honest broker" and because intelligence sources in
the Middle East warned that a veto might incite
even more violence, even attacks on American
embassies and other interests.
Nevertheless, just few days later the attack on the
USS Cole, in which 17 American sailors were killed.

Palestinians turned to other U.N. venues for sup-
port. Still, Americans are surprised by the ongoing
anti-Israel assaults.
"It really strikes me how irresponsible some of these
diplomats are, that they shamelessly give so little
thought to the implications," said one U.S. official.
"They may be trying to get a rhetorical jab at
Israel, but it causes people to die on the ground,"
the official said, adding that if demonstrators believe
that the international community supports their
cause, "it could embolden them to continue their
struggle. It can do more to fuel the fire than to put
out the flames."

One-Sided Talk

Steven Feuerstein stands with members of the
Chicago Palestinian community protesting the speaking
engagement of Israeli Deputy Defense Minister
Ephraim Sneh on Oct. 24 at the 13th annual dinner
of the Chicago Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.

The United States, however, is still stinging from crit-
icism from pro-Israel supporters over its controversial
abstention. The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Richard
Holbrooke, has vowed to use the American veto if any
more motions come before the Security Council.
Observers say U.S. opposition is why the

CAIRO from page 7

Israel demonstrations throughout the Arab world,
Egyptian officials have worried that the rage
orchestrated by Muslim fundamentalists could be
diverted against them.
And in Jordan, King Abdullah is well aware of
the threat posed to his regime by his Palestinian
subjects, who make up more than two-thirds of the
population of the Hashemite Kingdom.
"The scope of unrest in the Arab world is so terri-
ble that no Arab leader can actually ignore it," said
Arye Gus, Arab affairs correspondent for Israel Radio.
The relatively moderate resolution issued at the
summit was passed thanks mostly to the efforts of
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
But his efforts were not the result of any particular
love for Israel. It was heavy American pressure, with
thick hints of possible difficulties in passing U.S. aid
to Egypt, that motivated the Egyptian leader.
Egypt receives $2 billion in aid each year from
the United States — aid that some members of
Congress have questioned, depending on how con-
structive Egypt has been in the peace process.
Since its peace agreement with Israel, Jordan
receives millions of dollars in aid. On Tuesday, the
United States and Jordan were signing a new trade
agreement that Jordan has long sought.

Anger On The Street

But in contrast to the leaders' relative moderation,
there have been angry demonstrations in Egypt
and other Arab states over the summit resolution.
While officials in Egypt and Jordan appear able to
weather such demonstrations, other states — includ-
ing Oman, Tunisia and Morocco — have bowed to

While the resolutions may paint a picture of a world
against Israel, the Jewish state enjoys far more inter-
national support in bilateral relations between
envoys, ambassadors and foreign ministers of indi-
vidual countries, said one Israeli diplomat.
Nevertheless, in the spotlight of the United
Nations, the Israeli diplomatic corps is resigned to
this sort of ganging up, the diplomat said.
"Basically, since it's not a fair game and will have
no direct impact on Israel, it's not something we're
losing sleep over," he said. "It's like the Chicago
Bulls playing Yeshiva University."

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Arab pressure and severed relations with Israel.

In the case of Morocco, the recently enthroned
King Mohammad is 'too weak to stand the pres-
sure of extremists and continue business as usual,"
said Gus.
Another inexperienced leader, President Bashar
Assad of Syria, did not take any chances by siding
with the moderates. Instead, he adopted a hard
line against Israel.
"Internally, Assad played it safe," said Eyal Sisser
of Tel Aviv University. "No one can charge him
with neglecting the Palestinian cause."
The summit proved "that the people on the
streets have a lot more influence than the leaders
would like to admit,' Sisser said.
As the prospects for peace dim amid the contin-
ued fighting in the West Bank and Gaza, observers
are somberly assessing what may come next.
According to Sisser, any of the three main pieces
in the regional puzzle — the Palestinian Authority,
Israel and Lebanon — could explode and drag the
entire region into conflict.
Israeli officials have expressed concern over calls
for an Arab war, and they have reportedly increased
surveillance of Lebanon and Syria. They are also
concerned that Hezbollah, which according to
reports has amassed hundreds of Katy usha rockets
in southern Lebanon, could spark a confrontation.
So far, while there have been no troop move-
ments in either Egypt or Syria, 'Iran and Iraq have
been urging war.
According to local reports, the Iraqis have
deployed one to five divisions in western Iraq, some
60 miles from the border with Syria. This has
reportedly prompted warnings from U.S. officials
that they will bomb any threatening Iraqi troops.

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