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On his first visit to Israel, Guterres cast aside any possibility of decolonisation

August 29, 2017 at 11:05 am

Image of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres [Moustafa El-Shemy/Anadolu Agency]

While exhibiting contempt for international laws and conventions through its existence and policies, Israel also reserves the right to dictate to others with regard to its violations of the said laws, all in the name of “security concerns”. The institution bearing the brunt of such diktats is the UN, an entity which has actually regularly affirmed its pro-Israel bias and through which Palestine became colonised territory, ravaged by settlers and burdened with useless, non-binding resolutions. Since Trump’s presidency began in America, both Israel and the US have increasingly utilised the international platform to obscure Palestinian rights. The trend looks set to continue with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s first visit to Israel.

Israel National News described the visit as an “attempt to turn a new page after decades of chilly relations.” According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose bizarre comments continue to be reported as nuggets of wisdom, “The UN is mandated to pursue peace, but it allows Palestinian hate speech to flourish in its institutions.” Netanyahu also asked the UN to intervene in order to aid Israel to recover the bodies of two IDF soldiers held by Hamas in Gaza.

His rhetoric follows a repetitive script which the international community relishes. Departing from generalisations and expectations, the Israeli leader continues to carve a niche for violations which remain largely unquestioned and unchallenged. At the same time, the international community is demanded by Netanyahu to deliver upon its responsibilities, without specifying the real villain in all of this. Instead, the fictitious enemy is pushed to prominence, in order to allow Israel ample space to continue its violations of international law unhindered. The lack of objection to this strategy has to be defined as complicity.

The UN stands accused of having “an absurd obsession with Israel.” In the real world beyond Netanyahu’s twisted imagination, this “obsession” might have something to with Israel’s contempt for international laws and disdain for human rights, not forgetting its murderous and ongoing colonial occupation of Palestine.

Read: Netanyahu accuses UN chief of allowing Palestinians to incite against Israel

A look at Guterres’s statement as published on the UN website clearly, however, shows that, far from being biased against Israel, the UN is synchronised with the colonisation process and refuses to consider decolonisation as the legitimate solution for Palestinian rights and land reclamation. This should not surprise us because Israel is unique; it is the only state ever created by a UN resolution.

“I understand the security concerns of Israel,” said the UN chief, “and I repeat that the idea or the intention or the will to destroy the State of Israel is something totally unacceptable from my perspective.” The entire speech pays homage to Israel with Palestinians mentioned as a belatedly-attached appendage, as if to remind us that, if not for the presence of the indigenous people, the colonisation process would be completed by now. UN bias must indeed be called out, to expose the deceitful approaches which have stripped the Palestinians of their land.

Guterres failed to point out that behind every Israeli achievement, there are bucket loads of Palestinian blood and international intent to aid Israel in its colonial expansion. As long as these truths remain hidden, Netanyahu can continue to convince himself of the UN’s anti-Israel bias and use it to his advantage, all because the organisation randomly issues warnings and statements so ineffective that they make a mockery of the concept and use of language and diplomacy.

On his first visit to Israel, Guterres has cast aside any possibility of decolonisation and affirmed the UN’s commitment to accepting colonialism and being manipulated by Israel in order for Netanyahu to gain more concessions for expansion. If the UN has consistently failed Palestinians, why should Palestinians continue to fail themselves by suppressing their right to liberation? The solution, regardless of what the UN dictates to gain favour with and for Israel, should come from among the Palestinians themselves. Anything less is tantamount to their betrayal by the international community.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.