UN should use Israel-bashing model to oust Russia from Ukraine

The United Nations (UN) General Assembly needs to stop its pious bleating and move to immediately set up a network of Ukrainian-dedicated agencies to try and force Russia to end its invasion and occupation of Ukraine – adopting the same model it has established in trying to force Israel’s withdrawal from Judea and Samaria (West Bank) over the last 50 years.

The General Assembly has failed in Israel’s case – because:

• Sovereignty remains unallocated and still in dispute between Jews and Arabs after 100 years
• Israel has the legal right to reconstitute the Jewish National Home there pursuant to articles 6 and 25 of the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine and article 80 of the UN Charter
• Any Israeli withdrawal can only occur after secure and recognised boundaries are fixed pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 242.

However Russia’s invasion of the sovereign territory of another UN member state challenges the UN’s continued existence – as UN Secretary-General Assembly Antonio Guterres has pointed out: 

“It is wrong. It is against the Charter. It is unacceptable. But it is not irreversible”

Reversing Russia’s flagrant violation of the UN Charter justifies the General Assembly adopting its Israel-bashing model to establish the following Ukrainian-dedicated agencies to humiliate and bash Russia into withdrawing from Ukraine: 

• Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Ukrainian People (CEIRUP): To institute a programme that will enable the Ukrainian people to exercise their inalienable rights to self-determination, national independence and sovereignty without external interference; to return to their homes and property from which they have been displaced. 

• Department for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs’ (DPPA) Division for Ukrainian Rights:To serve as the Secretariat of CEIRUP and provide the following core functions: 

1. Organising the meetings of CEIRUP and its Bureau at UN Headquarters;
2. Monitoring political and other relevant developments;
3. Organising programmes of international meetings, conferences and CEIRUP delegation visits;
4. Implementing a publications programme;
5. Developing and maintaining the United Nations Information System on the Question of Ukraine (UNISUKR) and managing CEIRUP’s outreach efforts including via social media;
6. Cooperating with civil society organizations active on the Russia-Ukraine issue;
7. Organising an annual observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Ukrainian People;

• United Nations Ukrainian Works and Relief Agency:  To carry out direct relief and works programmes solely for Ukrainian refugees. 

• Special Rapporteur: To assess the human rights situation in the Occupied Ukrainian Territories, report publicly about it, and work with governments, civil society and others to foster international cooperation.

• Special Committee: To investigate Russian practices affecting the human rights of the Ukrainian People and other residents of the Occupied Ukrainian Territories

• United Nations Special Coordinator for the Russia-Ukraine conflict: The Secretary-General’s Personal Representative and the focal point on the ground for UN support in all political and diplomatic efforts related to any peace process, responsible also for coordinating the activities of all UN Russia-Ukraine agencies, funds and programmes on humanitarian and development assistance to be set up to assist the Ukrainian People

These agencies will neutralise any Russian veto in the Security Council and reinforce sanctions and other decisions made by individual UN Member States to force Russia out of Ukraine.

Simultaneously the UN Human Rights Council should establish an ongoing independent, international commission of inquiry - appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council - to investigate in the Occupied Ukrainian Territories all alleged violations of international humanitarian law and all alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law by Russia leading up to and since 22 February 2022.

The UN will cease to have any credibility or relevance if the General Assembly fails to implement these measures. 

Author’s note: The cartoon — commissioned exclusively for this article — is by Yaakov Kirschen aka “Dry Bones”- one of Israel’s foremost political and social commentators — whose cartoons have graced the columns of Israeli and international media publications for decades.

Guterres changes course on UN Israel-PLO two-state solution

 

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has had an epiphany—just four days after declaring on February 8th that there was no plan B to replace the UN-endorsed Israel-PLO two-state solution: Creating a second Arab State – in addition to Jordan—in the territory comprised in the 1922 League of Nations Mandate for Palestine.

On February 12th Guterres spoke positively of a new grassroots Plan B - “The Holy Land Confederation” - creating an Israeli-Palestinian confederation - after meeting with its authors in New York.

Creation of The Holy Land Confederation involves:

• the Palestine Liberation Organisation leadership (PLO) and the Israeli government negotiating a confederal peace agreement within one year on the future borders of the two States and on a future confederation - including its potential evolution and further stages of liberalization over another four years
• If no confederal agreement is reached within one year then negotiations for a Peace Agreement will center on the two state solution only.

The authors of the confederation have conceded:

“No formal confederations exist today, and the few states that call themselves a “confederation” are in fact federations” (p.91)

Yet this pie in the sky, vague and nebulous confederation proposal has been deemed significant enough for Guterres to give it his endorsement.

Guterres’ spokesman Stephane Dujarric said after the February 12th meeting:

“The secretary-general received [former Israeli justice minister] Yossi Beilin and [former Palestinian negotiator] Hiba Husseini, who presented him with their report on the ‘Holy Land Confederation’ process ... He thanked them for their useful contribution to try and achieve a lasting solution to the conflict,”

The meeting with Guterres lasted just 40 minutes and included four of Guterres’ advisers. Guterres reportedly said the plan could perhaps help revive the peace process - expressing regret at the absence of negotiations.

Beilin reportedly said he asked Guterres if the confederation plan could be included in Guterres’ talking points with leaders in the region and if Guterres could help the group use the UN platform for debates and discourse on the confederation:

“He [Guterres] promised that in his talks with his interlocutors, as he said, he will raise this option of a confederation,” Beilin said, adding that separately, “for the first time after many years, [Guterres said] he can have a dialogue with the Israeli government.”

There is another – and far better - alternative plan waiting in the wings to revive the peace process and get negotiations started: The Trump-Israel-PLO-Jordan Initiative

1. Israel and the PLO negotiate for the creation of a two-state solution on the basis of President Trump’s 2020 Peace Plan – and in default of their agreeing to do so or failing to reach agreement
2. Israel and Jordan negotiate to redraw their current agreed international boundary designated under Clause 3(2) of the 1994 Jordan-Israel peace Treaty – based on Trump’s Plan
3. 100% of Gaza and about 70% of Judea and Samaria (West Bank) containing 95% of its Arab population will in either scenario be internationally-recognised as being under Arab sovereignty and control.
4. No Arab or Jew will have to leave his current home.

Israel has endorsed Trump’s Plan as a “historic opportunity” and “significant milestone” whilst the Arab League has rejected it.

The uncertainties and five year time frame involved in negotiations to establish The Holy Land Confederation stand in strong contrast to the immediate results that negotiations based on The Trump-Israel-PLO-Jordan Initiative could yield within months.

Guterres will be doing world peace a disservice if he ignores endorsing The Israel-PLO-Jordan Trump Initiative after endorsing The Holy Land Confederation proposal.

Guterres’ welcome change of course opens up a new horizon for finally resolving the 100 years old Arab-Jewish conflict.


Author’s note: The cartoon—commissioned exclusively for this article—is by Yaakov Kirschen aka “Dry Bones”- one of Israel’s foremost political and social commentators—whose cartoons have graced the columns of Israeli and international media publications for decades.

UN: End the jaw-jaw - use Trump to redraw the Israel-Jordan border

 

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres demonstrated that the UN has learnt nothing about resolving the 100 years-old Arab-Jewish conflict when he addressed the gabfest held by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (Inalienable Rights Committee) in New York on  February 8th.

Guterres could only repeat the failed UN mantra once again:  

“The goal remains two States—Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous, viable and sovereign Palestinian State—living side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the shared capital of both States.  There is no plan B.”

No plan B? Is Guterres that blinkered?

Guterres is ignoring the possibilities opened up by the most comprehensive plan ever presented for resolving this long-running conflict: President Trump’s January 28, 2020 Peace Plan (see following map) — released in the presence of Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu and the ambassadors from three Arab nations — Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. 

Trump’s plan was openly embraced by Netanyahu:

“A great plan for Israel, a great plan for peace”

Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) leader Mahmoud Abbas refuses to negotiate with Israel on Trump’s Plan: 

“I say to Trump and Netanyahu: Jerusalem is not for sale, all our rights are not for sale and are not for bargain. And your deal, the conspiracy, will not pass,”

President Trump declared his plan: 

 “a win-win opportunity for both sides, a realistic two-state solution that resolves the risk of Palestinian statehood to Israel’s security.”

Guterres and the UN’s monolithic Jew-bashing Tower of Babble:

• The General Assembly
• The Security Council
• The UN Human Rights Committee 
• UNRWA
• UNESCO 
• The Inalienable Rights Committee 
• The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) 
• United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine
• The Working Group on the Financing of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
• Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process
• Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967
• Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights 
• United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
• Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices
• Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs 
• Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting Human Rights of Palestinian People and Other Arabs of Occupied Territories

have preferred to wring their collective hands, sit back and record the escalating violence between Arabs and Jews — issuing reams of reports condemning Israel for what is happening — yet taking no action to try and end that violence and eliminate the need for many of these voyeur groups to exist. 

The UN Security Council needs to urgently activate the following Plan B:

• Call on Israel and the PLO to negotiate on the basis of Trump’s Plan—and in default of their agreeing to do so
• Call on Israel and Jordan to redraw their current agreed international boundary — designated in the 1994 Jordan-Israel peace Treaty — by dividing sovereignty in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) and Gaza between their two States — based on Trump’s Plan 

About 70% of these territories will in either scenario be returned to Arab sovereignty after an absence of 55 years. No Arab or Jew will have to leave his current home.

The UN is charged under Article 1 of its own Charter: 

“To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace”

Time for the UN to end the jaw-jaw and facilitate redrawing the Israel-Jordan border using Trump’s Plan. 

Author’s note: The cartoon—commissioned exclusively for this article—is by Yaakov Kirschen aka “Dry Bones”- one of Israel’s foremost political and social commentators—whose cartoons have graced the columns of Israeli and international media publications for decades.