Around the same time as the United Nations was condemning Israel for its anti-terrorism operation in southern Gaza, with tacit U.S. support in the form of an abstention, the U.S. found itself in the same position as Israel: having to defend itself against claims that it had killed innocent Arabs.
Israel was accused yesterday of having killed up to 20 Arab civilians during a demonstration - that number has since gone down to "around ten," while according to Israel, the number is just seven, including five armed terrorists - while the U.S. now stands accused of having strafed an Iraqi wedding party, killing some 40 civilians. American Deputy Ambassador to the UN James Cunningham said after the UN vote, "While we believe that Israel has the right to act to defend itself and its citizens, we do not see that its operations in Gaza in the last few days serve the purposes of peace and security."
Regarding the Americans' bombing of the wedding party in Iraq, U.S. officials said that the target was a suspected safe house for terrorists, that U.S. planes had come under fire, and that the bombing was had been carried out "within the framework of our rules of engagement."
Cunningham explained that the U.S. did not vote in favor of the anti-Israel resolution because it did not mention that which Israel says is the reason for the offensive: the arms-smuggling into Gaza from Egypt and the ongoing terrorist attacks against Israel.
Though some reports said that this was the first time "in many years" that the U.S. did not veto an anti-Israel resolution, in fact the last time was only 20 months ago. On Sept. 24, 2002, the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding that Israel withdraw its forces from PA-controlled cities; the U.S. abstained.
The Security Council ignored the explanation provided by Israel's Ambassador Dan Gillerman. "The whole of Gaza, and Rafiach in particular, is on the verge of becoming a missile base aimed at Israel's cities and civilians," he said. "What would the international community have Israel do? Just sit back and wait for this horrific scenario to materialize?... The suffering of the Palestinian population is a direct result of Palestinian terrorism aimed at innocent Israelis, and the need for Israel to protect its citizens from these abhorrent attacks. Rather than criticizing Israel for damaging private property, those truly concerned for Palestinian welfare should instead demand that the terrorists stop using homes to shield their illegal operations."
Israel was accused yesterday of having killed up to 20 Arab civilians during a demonstration - that number has since gone down to "around ten," while according to Israel, the number is just seven, including five armed terrorists - while the U.S. now stands accused of having strafed an Iraqi wedding party, killing some 40 civilians. American Deputy Ambassador to the UN James Cunningham said after the UN vote, "While we believe that Israel has the right to act to defend itself and its citizens, we do not see that its operations in Gaza in the last few days serve the purposes of peace and security."
Regarding the Americans' bombing of the wedding party in Iraq, U.S. officials said that the target was a suspected safe house for terrorists, that U.S. planes had come under fire, and that the bombing was had been carried out "within the framework of our rules of engagement."
Cunningham explained that the U.S. did not vote in favor of the anti-Israel resolution because it did not mention that which Israel says is the reason for the offensive: the arms-smuggling into Gaza from Egypt and the ongoing terrorist attacks against Israel.
Though some reports said that this was the first time "in many years" that the U.S. did not veto an anti-Israel resolution, in fact the last time was only 20 months ago. On Sept. 24, 2002, the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding that Israel withdraw its forces from PA-controlled cities; the U.S. abstained.
The Security Council ignored the explanation provided by Israel's Ambassador Dan Gillerman. "The whole of Gaza, and Rafiach in particular, is on the verge of becoming a missile base aimed at Israel's cities and civilians," he said. "What would the international community have Israel do? Just sit back and wait for this horrific scenario to materialize?... The suffering of the Palestinian population is a direct result of Palestinian terrorism aimed at innocent Israelis, and the need for Israel to protect its citizens from these abhorrent attacks. Rather than criticizing Israel for damaging private property, those truly concerned for Palestinian welfare should instead demand that the terrorists stop using homes to shield their illegal operations."