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International
B
R I E F S |
December
2004
Israel and the United Nations
This January marks the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi
death camps by allied forces in World War II. A letter was recently sent
by Ambassador John C. Danforth, together with the Netherlands on behalf of
the EU, Russia, Australia, Canada, and Israel, to UN Secretary General
Kofi Annan requesting that he call a special session of the UN General
Assembly on January 24th to mark this occasion. The Secretary General
forwarded the letters to member states to approve the measure. According
to UN procedures, the Secretary General must receive positive responses
from at least 96 countries, including the signatories to the letter, to
convene a special session. A majority of the countries needed have signed
on and the IPA/OU is contacting other UN representatives to urge their
support for this initiative. For the first time, there will be a photo
exhibition in the United Nations marking this important anniversary. This
exhibition, a joint project of the UN and Yad Vashem, will open on January
24th and be on view for five weeks. As you know, a photo essay on the
Palestinians has been on exhibition for a long time at the UN so it is
therefore very important for school and synagogue groups to attend this
60th anniversary exhibition. Visitors should go to the visitors’ entrance
of the United Nations at 1st Ave. and 45th street to enter the hall.
Some key significant victories for the U.S. and Israel have recently been
attained that have not gotten much press. These include the passage of
Resolution 1566 that states that terrorist attacks on civilians for any
reason are not legitimate and are considered crimes against humanity. This
directly opposes the previous policy of justifying almost anything,
including terrorist attacks, to attain independence or resist occupation.
Another significant development was the inclusion of the phrase
“anti-Semitism” in the recent UN resolution condemning racism and
xenophobia. This is a victory given the fact that last year’s
anti-Semitism resolution failed.
A blue ribbon panel has been set up in the United Nations concerning UN
reform, recommending changes for many UN departments including those
dealing with peace-keeping, weapons proliferation, and collective
security. A positive aspect of this report urges the UN to finally adopt a
definition of terrorism which finally puts the lie to the notion repeated
in various UN resolutions that violence against Israeli civilians doesn’t
constitute terrorism. The report clearly states that nothing justifies the
targeting and killing of civilians. Although it goes on misleadingly to
attribute terrorism to poverty and despair, it later deals with the real
cause, incitement, by advocating efforts to counter extremism and
intolerance through education and public debate. This, and the passage of
1566, are important steps forward in a UN dominated for so long by
supporters of the PLO. Unfortunately, the report does not go on to disavow
UNRWA’s claim that there is nothing wrong with this UN agency employing
numbers of the terrorist organization Hamas.
A negative recommendation of the panel is to expand the membership of the
Security Council from the current 15 to 24 in an effort to increase its
legitimacy. This would not solve the problem but would only make it more
difficult for the Security Council to function effectively as it would
dilute the influence of the United States. There is no recommendation to
fix the current nomination process which is currently based on five
regional, geographic groupings so that instead of states being nominated
on their expertise in promoting peace and security, states are often
chosen that make no contribution to world security or actually pose a
threat to theses values, like Syria, who was elected to the Security
Council for a two-year term shortly after 9-11. The IPA/OU will continue
to maintain ties to many UN representatives and closely monitor events
affecting the U.S. and Israel.
Israel’s Security Fence and the International Court of Justice
The House recently passed a resolution by a vote of 361 to 45 condemning
the misuse of the International Court of Justice which issued an advisory
opinion stating that Israel’s security fence was illegal and should be
dismantled. The IPA campaigned for the passage of this bill and is also
supporting a similar Senate resolution introduced in the Senate supporting
Israel‘s right to self defense by the construction of a fence. This
resolution, S.Res.408, was introduced by Senators Gordon Smith (R-OR) and
Charles Schumer (D-NY), has more than 49 cosponsors but has not yet been
passed. Please contact us at 212-613-8124 to find out how you can help
pass this legislation.
Iran’s Nuclear Program
Congress unanimously passed a resolution condemning Iran’s failure to
adhere to International Atomic Energy Agency agreements. The IPA strongly
supported this resolution, S.Con.Res.81, and thanks Senators Kyl (R-AZ),
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Richard Lugar (R-IN), and Joseph Biden (D-DE),
who introduced and actively campaigned for its passage. The resolution
urges the UN Security Council to address the threat to international peace
and to take necessary action. In addition, Representatives Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Howard Berman (D-CA) will introduce a new bill on
Iran which would involve an updated version of the Iran Libya Sanctions
Act, essentially removing Libya and urging for an increase on sanctions on
Iran for its development of nuclear weapons. We look forward to the
introduction and passage of this bill early in the new year.
Divestment and Church Groups
Deeply disturbed by the passage of a resolution at the recent General
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church calling for divestment in companies
that do business with Israel, leaders of the IPA/OU met with Presbyterian
leadership in New York who expressed deep distress by the unbalanced
nature of the resolutions and condemned “any attempt to attack of the
Israeli people or undermine Jewish survival”. This statement was issued by
Presbyterians Concerned for Jewish Christian Relations, a group which is
focusing on what can be done to modify or rescind the resolution. The IPA
is reaching out to synagogues to encourage community-to-community dialogue
about these concerns. The IPA/OU is also working with other Jewish
organizations as well as Christian groups to address this issue with other
denominations.
Sudan
The IPA/OU joined with other organizations to protest the continuation of
the horrific events in Darfur, urging our government and the United
Nations to act immediately to help relieve the situation and bring to
justice those who have committed unspeakable acts against innocent
civilians. We requested all our members to contact Secretary General Kofi
Annan, U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Danforth and President George W.
Bush and urge them to consider steps that would have the Sudanese
government stop the devastation in Darfur and to expand the international
presence there. For contact information,
please click on
www.ou.org/public/resources/names.htm
Global Anti-Semitism
Gobal anti-Semitism will now be formally and independently monitored by
the United States State Department. The IPA/OU applauded President Bush’s
signing of the bipartisan legislative effort called the Global
Anti-Semitism Review Act of 2004. Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) and
Representatives Chris Smith (D-NJ) and Tom Lantos (D-CA) deserve much
praise for championing this important measure in the fight against
anti-Semitism. This new law requires the State Department to appoint a
special commissioner to track anti-Semitic acts around the world and to
compile an annual report about these attacks and measures that were taken
in response to them. This is an important example set by the United States
to all the members of the OSCE countries following the historic Berlin
Declaration of last April that called for all fifty-five OSCE member
states to monitor and follow closely anti-Semitic acts around the globe,
to take measures to prevent anti-Semitism, and to bring perpetrators of
anti-Semitism attacks to justice.
The IPA/OU welcomed the decision of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe to establish a special representative on
anti-Semitism. A key part of the advocacy effort to create this
significant post, the IPA notes its importance as the first special post
created by an international organization of member states to address
anti-Semitism. This step is essential to the follow-up to the OSCE
Conference on Anti-Semitism in Berlin.
Asian Tsunami Relief
The Orthodox Union grieves for the loss of life in South Asia and
empathizes with victims of the Tsunami disaster. To assist in the relief
efforts, the Orthodox Union has opened a special fund to which
contributions can be sent. These donations will then be forwarded to the
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) which is providing
funds to local relief groups who provide emergency aid and supplies on the
ground. Please help the OU in this humanitarian tzedakah mission. Checks
can be made out to “OU Asian Disaster Relief Fund” and sent to Orthodox
Union, 11 Broadway, 14th floor, New York, NY 10004
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