OPINION:
Kudos to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley for rejecting U.N. hypocrisy. A proposed U.N. Security Council resolution condemned America’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital for overturning traditional neutrality. Ms. Haley vetoed the resolution (“U.S. vetoes U.N. resolution rescinding Trump’s declaration of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital,” Web, Dec. 18).
Hypocritically, just last December the U.N. Security Council, with the Obama administration’s tacit support, rejected any pretense of neutrality on Jerusalem when it passed Resolution 2334, declaring Israel’s possession of the Western Wall and Temple Mount and the return of Jews to the ancient Jewish Quarter of the Old City (which Arab League forces had ethnically cleansed of all Jews in 1948) to be “in violation of international humanitarian law,” have “no legal validity” and constitute “a flagrant violation under international law.” That vile resolution passed unopposed.
By contrast, all President Trump did was recognize reality. Jerusalem has been Israel’s capital since Dec. 5, 1949. Israel’s Knesset (parliament), prime minister’s residence and supreme court are all located there. No serious peace plan proposes otherwise. American recognition changes nothing.
Yet “moderate” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas reacted with the diplomatic equivalent of a child throwing a tantrum. He incited deadly violence by calling for “days of rage,” apparently convinced that Palestinians are specially entitled to murder Israelis as an expression of political protest. He added an anti-Semitic rant at last Thursday’s Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit, declaring that Jews “are really excellent in faking and counterfeiting history and religion” — a denial of the Jewish people’s 3,000-year history in Jerusalem. (Mr. Abbas has also called the Holocaust “the Zionist fantasy, the fantastic lie.”)
When the international community indulges the Palestinians’ denial of history and capitulates to their demands out of fear of Palestinian violence, they are the ones who aren’t serious about peace.
STEPHEN A. SILVER
San Francisco
Please read our comment policy before commenting.