The UN Assembly, not the UN Security Council (UNSC), has designate Palestine a non-member observer state, which is the same standing accorded to the Vatican.
Unlike the UN General Assembly, the UNSC is where 5 original nuclear-power nations (USA, Russia, China, France and Britain) have veto powers. It's also where the USA has repetitively misused this veto powers to veto UNSC resolutions against Israel, by more than 140 times since 1972.
It has been reported that the USA had, during the period between 1972 and 2001, (mis)used its veto power in the UNSC a humongous 39 times to block resolutions critical of Israeli policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, more than all the other 4 countries with veto powers have used their veto on all other issues combined.
But leaving aside the predictable USA, a hopeless politico-religious slave to Israeli interests, the abstention of Australia has been a watershed decision in the Australian-USA-Israeli relationship.
Australia is like the USA, tied by political alliance and allegiance to foreign countries like the USA and Israel. The Israeli lobby in Australia is particularly powerful but more subtle than its American counterparts. But it's still too powerful to be ignored or to offend in the eyes of Australian main political leaders
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| Julia Gillard |
Many had predicted (quite correctly so) that Australia would AUTOMATICALLY side with the USA and Israel to object to UN Assembly recognition of Palestine. But PM Julia Gillard had to abandon her politically-natural intentions to do so when the Labor Party caucus (top party council) revolted against that plan.
The Labor Party caucus and indeed membership are sympathetic to the plight of the oppressed Palestinians.
It's a wonderful decision, a 1st step in the right direction and we eagerly await the day when Australia will move beyond mere abstention and actually vote FOR the full recognition of Palestine as a UN member state.
5 Original nuclear power nation? Or 5 post WWII winning nations?
ReplyDeleteAll this mess start after WWII, and British is the one create most trouble, including the divide and conquer that still exist in Bolehland(TM).
The British is responsible for most of the major ills in this world....tons of blood on their hands.....the consequences still resounding long after their empire has turned to ashes.
ReplyDeleteTheir infamous divide and rule being ape with such alacrity here in Bodohland.....monkey see, monkey do, but these are new generation of apes, more indisgenuous, murderous and insatiable than their original colonial masters.
If only ottoman strong to maintain the empire, that whole place including arab and greece belong to the turks.
ReplyDeletePalestine must never be allowed full UN membership until it can demonstrate acceptance of responsibility as a nation state.
ReplyDeleteIncluding tiny details like allowing their territory to serve as launching pads for explosive rockets to be launched into neighbouring countries.
all Israel has to do is to stop stealing Palestine land, oppressing Palestinians and retreat to the 1967 borders as per UNSC 242.
ReplyDeleteWhen Israel has stopped its thieving and oppression, which has continued unabated since 1948, then there may be peace.
All those East Jerusalem settlements will belong to the Palestinians because they own that land under International Law. And anything "attached to the land" is land, as our National Land Code (and international law) says. I call that a win for the Palestinians if the international community can get its act in order and establish the two states. But the Jews now want Israel only for themselves, making their Arab citizens (about 20%) "non-persons". Do you see the similarity with UMNO's Malaysia where Malays are Malay and the rest pendantangs?
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