Sunday, December 17, 2017

Israeli Messy Right Now

The UN Security Council is attempting to do something about Trump's explosive call to end the Middle East peace process and unilaterally declare Jerusalem the sole province of Israel, but there's not much the UN can frankly do, and Trump knows it.

The United Nations Security Council is considering a draft resolution that would insist any decisions on the status of Jerusalem have no legal effect and must be rescinded after U.S. President Donald Trump recognized the city as Israel’s capital.

The one-page Egyptian-drafted text, which was circulated to the 15-member council on Saturday and seen by Reuters, does not specifically mention the United States or Trump. Diplomats say it has broad support but will likely be vetoed by Washington.

The council could vote early next week, diplomats said. A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, France, Britain, Russia or China to pass.

Trump abruptly reversed decades of U.S. policy this month when he recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, generating outrage from Palestinians. Trump also plans to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.

After the decision, Arab foreign ministers agreed to seek a U.N. Security Council resolution. While the draft is unlikely to be adopted, it would further isolate Trump over the Jerusalem issue.

The U.S. mission to the United Nations declined to comment on the draft. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has praised Trump’s decision as “the just and right thing to do.”

The draft U.N. resolution “affirms that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered, the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council.”

Again, such a measure would be vetoed by the US (as any real UN Security Council measure holding Israel actually responsible for its collective punishment of Palestinians over the last several decades has been vetoed by the US, long before Trump) but I'm sure the vote will be 14-1 anyway.

The reality is that the UN can't really do anything that its five permanent members don't want done collectively, so there's no real will to punish the Trump regime politically, economically, or diplomatically (and certainly not militarily!)

 I don't see that changing anytime soon.
 

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