Israel has committed 60% of the world's war crimes against humanity. It has also caused 80% of the world's humanitarian crises; at least, if you believe the United Nations.
Today is the day that the UN hit rock bottom. Today is the day that Israel can once and for all acknowledge that, whatever it may want or like to think; it has never been part of the political international community. Today was the day that politics beat democracy-a paradox if there ever was one. It was the day that the UN officially endorsed the Goldstone Report by a backing of 25 member states to 6. (Just how many of those 25 were Arab states remains to be seen, but when you consider there are 22 Arab states, you get the idea).
Never, in the words of the ex - British commanding officer in Afghanistan Colonel Kemp, had a country involved in modern day warfare gone to the lengths Israel had to protect civilians; whilst fighting an enemy that immersed itself within civilian populations. It dropped 2 million leaflets, made over 100,000 phone calls and sent over 500,000 SMS messages warning people to leave areas that were under threat from a Hamas-induced attack; Hamas being an organisation specifically dedicated to the destruction of Israel and the 'removal of every Jew from Palestine' - 8,000 rockets aside.
When Jeremy Bowen spoke on Radio 4 this morning he said something wondrous. "There seems to be one rule for Israel and another for every other country". You might be thinking that the BBC is seeing clearly; wrong. He apparently thinks that due to the expected American Veto when the endorsement gets taken to New York next week, Israel is escaping punishment and that Israel is, in the eyes of the Arabs, a "cut above the rest". What a twisted, typical and tyrannical misinterpretation of the truth. Israel IS involved in a double standard; it is the Victim. How is it, that Sudan can currently conduct genocide against the people of Darfur and yet not be the victim of a 574 page forgery claiming war crimes against humanity and violation of International law? How is it that King Abdullah is allowed to walk around the streets of London and Israeli diplomats are arrested for War Crimes upon landing on British soil? How is it that the UN can give a platform and grant legitimacy to (what we can now call) the dictator of Iran, who openly calls for the destruction of another member state, whilst claiming non-bias against Israel? How is it, that the UN can praise Sri-Lanka for its defeat of the Tamil Tigers, despite their killing of 25,000 civilians, whilst condemning Israel for standing up against Islamic terror in which it killed little over 1,000 civilians - a significant number of which were Hamas militiamen? Is it simply that if you are a terrorist and hide yourself in a civilian population you are granted immunity?
What a disgrace. What a clear-cut case of, and yes I dare say it, Anti-Semitism. Israel; a country that holds 1/6th of a percent of land in the middle east; 0.001% of land in the world (60% of which is Desert) should, like any other country, have the right to defend its small population. In 1948, the UN created 2 states. An Arab one and a Jewish one. The Jewish people accepted the partition. The Arabs did not. They remained in control of 80% of Palestine, including Jerusalem - the holiest sight in Judaism - and refused to accept the partition. I'll reiterate: THEY refused. Israel did not. The resulting war against Israel in 48 in which it captured Judea, again wasn't Israel's fault. The war against Israel in '67 in which it captured Gaza, the West Bank, the Sinai and the Golan wasn't Israel’s fault; neither was '72. Neither was 2006 and neither was 2008/9. We all, though, need a scapegoat; we always have done. From expulsions from every country in Europe, to expulsions from every Arab country, to Russian Pogroms, to Arab Pogroms, to the Holocaust; it has always been the Jews. Today, we saw that it still is; today, the UN joined in.
What exactly Israel can do to change the unrelenting course of mainstream anti-Zionist and Anti-Semitic, western ideology is perplexing to say the least. One thing though is for sure: The crimes of international appeasement have never brought fruitful results. The last episode took 6 million Jews to the gas chambers. It may be the Jewish people who are once again on the front line – but the Jewish people will not forget. Our right to self-determination has been fulfilled; our right to self-defence will ensure our survival. Worryingly though, the same cannot be said for the 'United Nations' or the West.