The United States, European Union and the United Nations have issued unusually stern criticism of Israel, provoking a sharp response from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and raising Palestinians’ hopes of steps against their neighbour.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday described Israel’s settlements as “provocative acts” that raised questions about its commitment to a two-state solution, nearly 50 years after occupying lands the Palestinians seek for a state.
Ban also laid some of the blame for four months of stabbings and car rammings by Palestinians at Israel’s door, saying “as oppressed peoples have demonstrated throughout the ages, it is human nature to react to occupation, which often serves as a potent incubator of hate and extremism”.
Netanyahu’s response was quick and furious. Ban’s remarks “give a tailwind to terrorism”, he said, and ignore the fact “Palestinian murderers do not want to build a state”.
“The UN lost its neutrality and moral force a long time ago,” he added, singling Ban out for personal criticism.
While terse words between Israel and the United Nations are nothing new, Israel’s closest allies, the US and the European Union, have publicly expressed their own frustration with the policies of Netanyahu’s right-wing government.
Speaking at a security conference last week, US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro questioned how equitably justice is applied in the occupied West Bank, saying: “At times there seem to be two standards of adherence to the rule of law: one for Israelis and another for Palestinians.” The European Union’s policy of labelling products made in Israeli settlements has provoked similar anger from officials.
Not so resolved
The criticism, particularly about the settlements, where some 550,000 Jews live in around 250 communities scattered across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, has raised Palestinian hopes that world powers might finally be minded to support a UN resolution condemning Israel’s policy outright.
The last attempt at such a resolution failed in 2011 after the US vetoed it, saying it harmed the chances for peace. The feeling among Palestinian diplomats now is that the US may be less inclined to veto given the absence of peace talks and the depth of US frustration with Israel.
Israeli diplomats are also wary of that possibility.
The Palestinians hope France, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, might sponsor such a resolution, but it is unclear whether the French have the appetite for such a course.
