Israel has withdrawn its first UN draft resolution in 27 years after an Egyptian-led attempt to turn it into yet another anti-Israel motion.
The resolution, which was submitted in early November, called for the protection of Israeli children from Palestinian terrorism - which purposely targets buses, cafes, kindergartens and discos filled with Jewish youth. Israeli officials said the resolution would be a test whether or not the UN was prepared to forego its traditional bias against the Jewish state.
On November 6th, the same UN Committee approved a nearly identical Egyptian-sponsored resolution demanding protection for Palestinian children from "Israeli aggression." When it came to declaring Israeli children’s right to not be targeted by terrorists, however, Egypt would not hear of it. The opposition to the resolution was led by Egypt, with whom Israel signed a peace agreement.
"The voice of the immoral majority was once again heard loud and clear," Israeli UN Abmassador Dan Gillerman told the UN Humanitarian, Social and Cultural Committee Wednesday, after failing to garner enough support to secure a General Assembly vote on the draft.
Gillerman was forced to withdraw the draft after a group of nations belonging to the Non-Aligned Movement, led by Egypt, insisted on including amendments that would have transformed the document into an anti-Israel resolution.
The changes demanded by the Egyptian-led opposition were the altering all of all references to "Israeli children" to read "Middle Eastern children," and the insertion of harsh condemnation of Israeli "military assaults," "occupation" and "excessive use of force" before any mention of Arab terrorism. The group of nations also wanted to change the draft's title from "The situation of and assistance to Israeli children" to "The situation of and assistance to children in the Middle East region."
If Israel had not withdrawn the resolution, the amendments would have surely passed, as the Non-Aligned Movement makes up a majority of the UN.
"It [is] very clear that the UN General Assembly is an unreliable and biased body with no international integrity. The message sent today by the UN Humanitarian, Social and Cultural Committee to Israeli children is that your lives are worth less than Palestinian children," Gillerman said after pulling the resolution.
Nearly two-thirds of all General Assembly and Security Council resolutions passed since the founding of the UN in 1945 have been anti-Israel.
Additionally, Israel is the only UN member that is never allowed to hold a seat on the Security Council.
Israel's only other attempt to pass a UN resolution came in 1976. That draft, too, was withdrawn after Syria tied its approval to Israeli negotiations with the PLO terrorist organization.
The resolution, which was submitted in early November, called for the protection of Israeli children from Palestinian terrorism - which purposely targets buses, cafes, kindergartens and discos filled with Jewish youth. Israeli officials said the resolution would be a test whether or not the UN was prepared to forego its traditional bias against the Jewish state.
On November 6th, the same UN Committee approved a nearly identical Egyptian-sponsored resolution demanding protection for Palestinian children from "Israeli aggression." When it came to declaring Israeli children’s right to not be targeted by terrorists, however, Egypt would not hear of it. The opposition to the resolution was led by Egypt, with whom Israel signed a peace agreement.
"The voice of the immoral majority was once again heard loud and clear," Israeli UN Abmassador Dan Gillerman told the UN Humanitarian, Social and Cultural Committee Wednesday, after failing to garner enough support to secure a General Assembly vote on the draft.
Gillerman was forced to withdraw the draft after a group of nations belonging to the Non-Aligned Movement, led by Egypt, insisted on including amendments that would have transformed the document into an anti-Israel resolution.
The changes demanded by the Egyptian-led opposition were the altering all of all references to "Israeli children" to read "Middle Eastern children," and the insertion of harsh condemnation of Israeli "military assaults," "occupation" and "excessive use of force" before any mention of Arab terrorism. The group of nations also wanted to change the draft's title from "The situation of and assistance to Israeli children" to "The situation of and assistance to children in the Middle East region."
If Israel had not withdrawn the resolution, the amendments would have surely passed, as the Non-Aligned Movement makes up a majority of the UN.
"It [is] very clear that the UN General Assembly is an unreliable and biased body with no international integrity. The message sent today by the UN Humanitarian, Social and Cultural Committee to Israeli children is that your lives are worth less than Palestinian children," Gillerman said after pulling the resolution.
Nearly two-thirds of all General Assembly and Security Council resolutions passed since the founding of the UN in 1945 have been anti-Israel.
Additionally, Israel is the only UN member that is never allowed to hold a seat on the Security Council.
Israel's only other attempt to pass a UN resolution came in 1976. That draft, too, was withdrawn after Syria tied its approval to Israeli negotiations with the PLO terrorist organization.