November 1, 2017
“Another Imperative: On the UN”
Only infrequently do I make requests to my loyal readers regarding letters to be written.
In my last posting, I made such a request. And now I begin this posting with yet another request.
You have undoubtedly heard this saying:
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men [and women] do nothing. (Attributed to Edmund Burke)
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It is a given that the UN is a cesspool of anti-Israel sentiment, an institution that has betrayed the vision of its founders. But even accepting this, every now and then the UN takes action that requires particular notice:
The United Nations Development Assistance Framework and the Palestinian Authority have signed a “strategic programming framework” for 2018-2022. It projects a budget of close to $1.3 billion to support the PA with a wide variety of political and social service programs (all described in a 73 page document).
Sixteen UN agencies (including UNRWA and UNESCO have signed on to this document. They are committed to holding Israel accountable for alleged violations in international law and to documenting purported abuses.
Charges Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch: “There is no other example or precedent of the U.N. funding, training and advising one side of a conflict to pursue legal advocacy against another side.”
http://israellawcenter.org/un-launches-unprecedented-1-3-billion-legal-campaign-against-israel/
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There are two parts of this overall program that are especially offensive, both of which are listed within the category “Supporting Palestine’s Path to Independence.”
One part has the goal of “holding Israel accountable for its obligations under international law.”
What this means is that the UN will “support Palestinian institutions (state and non-government) and Palestinian victims of violations to effectively…seek legal recourse for violations by the occupying power.” The UN wants to “ensure that Palestinian victims and institutions are equipped with the knowledge and tools to effectively access international accountability mechanisms in order to hold Israel accountable for its violations under international law.” (Emphasis added)
“International accountability mechanisms to hold Israel accountable” We are talking about lawfare here, and attempts to delegitimize Israel – UN-funded, to the tune of $18 million.
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The second part involves ensuring that “a strong Palestinian national identity prevails.”
Folks, there is no “strong Palestinian national identity.” There is a much stronger family or clan identity. But that is something the UN would rather were kept secret, as $32.5 million will be spent on this ludicrous effort for such projects as “communicating a positive Palestinian national narrative to strengthen cohesion.” The fact that they think it is necessary to do this proves that an internalized “strong Palestinian national identity” does not exist. This “identity” is being promoted from the outside for clearly political purposes.
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Also exceedingly offensive is that money will be spent supporting efforts to “preserve and protect the Palestinian character and identity of East Jerusalem, the future Palestinian capital pending final status negotiations.”
How do I begin to catalogue what is wrong with this? We can start with the fact that the UN has decided a priori, in advance of any agreement, that “East Jerusalem” will be a “Palestinian capital.” As to its “Palestinian character”: eastern Jerusalem, which is where Har Habayit and the Kotel stand, was substantially Jewish until 1949. At the end of the War of Independence, it was occupied by Jordan and rendered Judenrein. Today it is again significantly Jewish in character, with whole Jewish neighborhoods having been built up, and a vibrant Jewish life established in the Old City.
Precisely what is the UN protecting?
You can see basic information on this “strategic programming framework” here:
http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2017/10/un-to-spend-32m-to-strengthen.html
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As I indicated above, anti-Israel positions are routine at the UN. What particularly rubs here is the enormous amount of money that is going to support these biased programs.
And there is something else, as well: All of this money is not going directly to the Palestinian Authority. A good portion of it will go to blatantly anti-Israel NGOs. (See above where the program speaks about funding “non-government” institutions.)
NGO-Monitor explains that the “strategic program” was created in consultation with a number of NGOs, some of which have connections to the terrorist groups Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Hamas.
“…the modus operandi of the UN agencies that will be receiving funds is to coordinate and reinforce the ongoing anti-Israel campaigns in conjunction with highly politicized NGOs. UN agencies and NGOs helped fashion a strategy that guarantees that these same NGOs and UN agencies will continue to receive massive amounts of money for their ongoing anti-Israel political warfare campaigns.”
https://www.ngo-monitor.org/uns-top-priority-palestine-18-million-ngo-linked-anti-israel-lawfare/
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What I ask of you is to protest to the Trump administration about this. Remember that he’s a friend: The president has been exceedingly forthcoming in responding to outrageous anti-Israel bias at the UN. Again, I remind you that numbers count and so your participation matters.
Write to the White House: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
And to Nikki Haley, US Ambassador to the UN: https://usun.state.gov/contact
The message is simple and the same one can be sent to both:
I respectfully request that you address the outrage of the “strategic programming framework” for 2018-2022 signed by the United Nations Development Assistance Framework and the Palestinian Authority, with a budget of $1.3 billion.
The program is designed to empower the Palestinian Authority to increase its delegitimization of Israel, utilizing lawfare.
The UN is funding, training and advising one side of a conflict to pursue legal advocacy against another side.
What is more, it blatantly draws in anti-Israel NGOs, some of which are directly connected to terror organizations. These NGOs helped plan the program and will receive funding.
This cannot be allowed to stand. The UN far exceeds the mandate of its charter with these malicious and highly politicized programs.
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Please, share this broadly. Many will not have heard of this situation.
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I share one good news piece below. The Israelis are doing in life-saving medical innovation non-stop.
“A joint project between the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found a protein circuit that can target cancerous cells and leave healthy ones alone…
“A protein ‘switch’ that activates the immune system to attack cancer cells when it detects signs of the disease has been developed by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Much more from the news to follow soon.
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© Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by independent journalist Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.
