Yesterday was Yom Hazikaron, Israeli Remembrance Day. Every year on this day Israelis stop to remember their fellow citizens who have given their lives for the sake of Israel, whether in wars or at the hands of terrorists.
Yesterday was Yom Hazikaron, Israeli Remembrance Day. Every year on this day Israelis stop to remember their fellow citizens who have given their lives for the sake of Israel, whether in wars or at the hands of terrorists.
They agree that settlements are a problem, even a shonda, but boycott fellow Jews? Heaven forbid. And even if it weren't Jewishly distasteful, it wouldn't work anyway, so don't go there.
The fate of Migron, an illegal outpost in the heart of
the West Bank, is about to be decided. The implications of this decision are about far more than the future of a
handful of settlers in a single outpost. This decision will be a litmus test of Israeli rule of law and,
ultimately, of Israel's capacity to make peace with the Palestinians.
How can one outpost be so important?
Peace Now today released the 'Migron File' - a comprehensive dossier containing all the facts and figures, aerial photos and copies of legal documents related to the illegal outpost of Migron (which the Netanyahu government is working frantically to find a way to legalize).
The "Migron File" can be viewed online or downloaded here.
As everybody who cares about foreign policy (and hasn't been living under a rock) knows by now, earlier this
week the PLO was admitted as a full member by UNESCO, triggering pre-existing U.S. laws that
mandate an immediate and 100% cut-off in U.S. funding to UNESCO. These laws likewise mandate such a
cut-off of funding to the UN, any specialized agency of the UN, or any affiliated organization of the UN who
follows suit. With the Palestinians reportedly planning to apply for membership in at least 16 more
agencies, the specter of a
far-reaching U.S. withdrawal from international agencies - including from agencies like the IAEA and WIPO,
looms
large. And with it looms the specter of far-reaching consequences for U.S. international influence,
leverage, and engagement, and for the U.S ability to protect and promote its interests across the whole
spectrum of issues around the globe.
Absent from the reporting and debate around this issue is any real notice of the fact that the rationale that
existed for passage of these laws in 1990 and 1994 no longer exists. Objectively speaking, what we are
seeing today is U.S. policy at the UN being hijacked by a pair of legislative anachronisms.