Late Thursday night while Australia was deep asleep, the UN General Assembly voted to confer nonmember statehood on the Palestinian Authority by huge majority.
The only countries of any size to stand with Israel were the US, Canada, and the Czech Republic. Czech Republic?
Back in 1993, the whole west, including Australia, piously sanctioned the Oslo Accords to set up the Palestinan Authority’s path to statehood. Everybody cheered and clapped each other on the back. Oh! there were smiles and air kisses and handshakes that day.
But with this vote, the UN turfed the Oslo Accords and its intentions. Pretended they had forgot about them.
In a nutshell, the members of the UN know perfectly well that the Palestinian Authority had done nothing to qualify for nonmember statehood.
Firstly, This ‘state’ cannot even control its own territory. It has had zero control over Gaza for the five years since Hamas seized power and, on the West Bank, where Abbas pretends to be in control, whole towns are run by tribal extortionists.
Secondly, Gaza itself is a terrorist state in every possible sense. Al Quaeda does what it likes; and it is a jumpoff for the demented mullahs of Iran in their aim to annihilate Israel.
Thirdly, the place is light years away from even a pretense at a democratic state. Human Rights Watch reports are unequivocal on this. Read here for a lengthy description of the murderous tactics of the Palestinian Authority over its own citizens, journalists, bloggers….
Fourthly, the Palestinian Authority is bankrupt; it earns nothing, it makes nothing, it is nothing. It depends completely on “foreign aid”. Aid which is constantly diverted from its object. Part of its annual budget goes to paying imprisoned terrorists and looking after their families, making sure that terrorists can terrorise without worrying about their families income.
What the hell sort of a ‘state’ is that? These things should disqualify, not qualify, for statehood.
Gillard, Shorten, and Conroy were all for voting 'no'. But the rest of the Party, on a knife edge in the next election, fearing Islamic reprisals at the ballot boxes of western Sydney (as if) rolled her. Then tried to manufacture excuses that might sell in the media.
Those bullshit excuses were things like – if Australia votes in favour of the resolution (or abstain) it will strengthen the Authority’s leader, Abbas, as against Hamas – a total crock since Hamas is in favour of statehood too. Another one put around is that it shows that Australia is independent and won’t just go along with the US; game, brave little Australia, standing up to the Yanks.
Trying to get an official position, and dismally failing, Craig Emerson announced that it was perfectly logical to abstain since the UN resolution isn’t worth a spit. What a reason. He would be better off admitting that Australia stood proudly in the ranks of toadeaters and lickspittles.
Which leaves a niggling question.
Why did the Czechs vote no – almost on their own, with only the US and Canada?
Because they remember when the same thing happened to them at Munich in 1938, when the gutless world stood by and let Hitler walk right in and take the Sudetenland.
And they remember the words of the arch appeaser who made World War II possible if not inevitable – Neville Chamberlain – “How horrible, fantastic, incredible it is that we should be digging trenches and trying on gas-masks here because of a quarrel in a far away country between people of whom we know nothing.”
The Labor Party doesn’t only remember that sentiment.
It endorses it.
Jim McCrudden is a retired lawyer, an avid admirer of Dickens, Shakespeare and many others. He lives on the NSW South Coast, has a keen interest in politics and sits on local government.
