If Others Follow, UN Will Have To Go On A Diet.

Benjamin Netanyahu Slashes Millions in UN Funds

By Ilana Messika March 30, 2017 , 10:30 am

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“And I will visit upon the world their evil, and upon the wicked their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the tyrants.” Isaiah 13:11 (The Israel Bible™)

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Prime Minister Netanyahu addresses the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, September 2011. (Avi Ohayon/GPO)

Prime Minister Netanyahu, in his capacity as foreign minister, said Wednesday that he would redirect $2 million from Israel’s funding to United Nations institutions in favor of “deepen[ing] and expand[ing] Israeli projects in the field of international assistance,” a reference to the foreign ministry’s MASHAV program.

“This decision is part of Israel’s campaign, together with its friends, and especially the United States, to correct the obsessive discrimination against Israel at the UN and its agencies,” said Emmanuel Nahshon, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The slash in funding comes on the heels of last Friday’s UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session in Geneva, where the Council adopted four resolutions condemning Israel, including motions condemning construction in Judea, Samaria, eastern Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, and one urging countries and corporations to avoid all ties with the settlements.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon wrote on Twitter that “The halls of the UN are being infiltrated by BDS.”

The UNHRC resolutions are only the latest in a wave of UN condemnations of Israel. Earlier this month a  United Nations Economic and Social Commission (ESCWA) report said that “available evidence establishes beyond a reasonable doubt that Israel is guilty of policies and practices that constitute the crime of apartheid as legally defined in instruments of international law.”

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In December, Security Council Resolution 2334 asserted that settlements in “Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967” are illegal under international law and and constitute “a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-state solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.”

Since the inauguration of Donald Trump as president of the United States, however, it has appeared that Israel has an ally at the world body. In a sharp contrast to the tone set by former President Barack Obama, Trump’s ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has declared war on what she considered an obvious anti-Israel bias. Earlier this week Haley told the annual AIPAC conference in Washington that the days of Israel bashing at the UN are “over” and that there is a “new sheriff in town.”

Israel’s funding to the United Nations currently stands at $3.7 million, after an earlier cut back of $9 million in the aftermath of Security Council Resolution 2334

Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/85859/netanyahu-slashes-millions-un-funds/#YxdDfPWpS0fh3pJm.99

UN Human Rights Council Has Nothing To Do With Human Rights. Their Only Interest Is Bashing Israel

Furious, US Boycotts UN Cabal Bashing Israel Over 'Human Rights'

By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz March 20, 2017 , 5:17 pm

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“Lying lips are an abomination to Hashem; but they that deal truly are His delight.” Proverbs 12:22 (The Israel Bible™)

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Knotted Gun Sculpture at the United Nations (Photo by Shutterstock)

On Monday, the United States State Department announced they will boycott an upcoming session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session slated to deal with violations by Israel, deepening the conflict over Israel between the Trump administration and the UN.

Mark Toner, the department’s spokesman, posted a statement on the department’s website, saying that not only will the US boycott the meeting, but it intends to vote against all five the council intends to pass this week.

The statement said that the US specifically objected to a particularly egregious example of the anti-Israel bias displayed in the UNHRC, known as Agenda Item Seven.

“The United States strongly and unequivocally opposes the existence of the UN Human Rights Council’s Agenda Item Seven: ‘Human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories,” the announcement read.

The agenda item requires the council to discuss Israel’s human rights abuses against Palestinians at every session. There is no corresponding requirement pertaining to any other country.

“As an expression of our deeply-held conviction that this bias must be addressed in order for the Council to realize its legitimate purpose, the United States decided not to attend the Council’s Item Seven General Debate session,” the statement continued.

“It does not serve the interests of the Council to single out one country in an unbalanced matter. Later this week, the United States will vote against every resolution put forth under this agenda item and is encouraging other countries to do the same.”

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This comes in marked contrast to the previous administration. In his final weeks in office, President Obama overturned a long time US policy by not vetoing UN Security Council Resolution 2334 condemning Israeli settlements.

The UNHRC was another forum in which President Obama reversed policy concerning Israel. Due to its anti-Israel stance, President George W. Bush initially refused to join the UNHRC, and boycotted it when it was established in 2006. In 2009, President Obama applied for membership, and under his administration, the US took a leading role in the council.

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Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon (left) with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. (Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations)

The US’s relationship to the UNHRC is currently under scrutiny by Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, who is considering withdrawing from the Council.  In a letter to the UN, Tillerson questioned its effectiveness given the presence on the Council of countries with histories of human rights violations. In his letter, Tillerson said the US will “reiterate our strong principled objection to the Human Rights Council’s biased agenda against Israel.”

“We may not share a common view on this, given the makeup of the membership,” Tillerson wrote. “While it may be the only such organization devoted to human rights, the Human Rights Council requires considerable reform in order for us to continue to participate.”

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US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley speaks after her first Security Council meeting, February 16, 2017. (Screenshot)

This current confrontation comes in the context of ongoing criticism by the new Trump administration against the UN for anti-Israel bias. A recent anti-Israel report by the UN’s Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) was rescinded after Nikki Haley, US Ambassador to the UN, expressing “outrage”, demanded that the UN withdraw the report, which declared Israel to be an apartheid state. Rima Khalaf, head of the Beirut-based commision, resigned in protest.

Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/85340/fed-un-bodys-virulent-anti-israel-bias-us-boycotts-human-rights-council/#O7DpfTARTymDGkFt.99

This Is Called Leadership!

Tillerson Threatens U.S. Exit Of UN Human Rights Council Unless Changes Made [Video]

"The obsession with Israel ..."

by Jack Davis March 14, 2017 at 1:26pm

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Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has told the United Nations’ Human Rights Council that it needs to make changes if it wants continued American support.

His demand comes after a high-ranking Israeli official urged the U.S. to withdraw from the organization.

“The Human Rights Council deals with demonizing Israel and with efforts to harm it by distorting reality,” Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman told Tillerson last week.

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In a letter to several groups that have been urging the United States to remain active in the council, Tillerson told the U.N. advocates and human rights groups that the U.S. “continues to evaluate the effectiveness” of the council.

Foreign Policy reported that the U.S. expressed skepticism about a group with nation members such as China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, all with poor human rights records.

“We may not share a common view on this, given the makeup of the membership,” Tillerson wrote.

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He continued, “While it may be the only such organization devoted to human rights, the Human Rights Council requires considerable reform in order for us to continue to participate.”

Tillerson wrote in the letter that the U.S. would keep participating in the council even as they “reiterate our strong principled objection to the Human Rights Council’s biased agenda against Israel.”

The administration of former President George W. Bush cited the council’s anti-Israel bias as its reason for not joining in 2006 when the council was formed. The Obama administration changed course in 2009 and joined the council.

Last week, Erin Barclay, who has been America’s envoy to the council said the group focuses its attacks on Israel.

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“Regrettably, too many of the actions of this council do not support these universal principles. Indeed, they contradict them,” she said.

“No other nation is the focus of an entire agenda item… The obsession with Israel… is the largest threat to this council’s credibility,” she said. “It limits the good we can accomplish by making a mockery of this council. The United States will oppose any effort to delegitimize or isolate Israel.”

Tillerson said U.S. priorities include renewing the mandate of a U.N. Commission of inquiry into atrocities in Syria, and underscoring U.S. support for U.N. observers for Iran, North Korea and Burma.

Although some see Tillerson’s comments as a prelude to an American withdrawal form the council, others expect the U.S. is seeking to reform the council, not leave it.

“I’m afraid this seems to signal that they want to pull out,” said Felice Gaer, of the Jacob Blaustein Institute. “If you want to change the Council’s disproportionate focus on Israel it is by being present that it will happen, not by being absent.”

Peter Yeo, the President of the Better World Campaign, said the U.S. is putting pressure on the group to change.

“I think the administration is signaling its intention to pursue far-reaching reforms of the Human Rights Council, including reducing the disproportionate focus on Israel,” he said.

What do you think?

The Big Task Trump Has To Fix The Israeli Relationship

How President-elect Trump could undo Obama’s hostility to Israel

Read More About: Deeply-flawed Iran deal gifted Iran $150 billion Failure to stabilize war in Syria Put Hezbollah ISIS on Israel’s northern border. Mishandled Arab Spring

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www.israel-commentary.org
BY JONATHAN SCHANZER, CONTRIBUTOR
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is counting the days until Barack Obama leaves office. So are many supporters of Israel here in the United States, including members of Congress on both sides of the aisle.
It’s not just last week’s abstention on an anti-Israel measure at the United Nations Security Council. Nor was it the long-winded speech about Israeli settlements by President Obama’s secretary of State, John Kerry, earlier this week.
It’s the sum total of Obama’s harmful Middle East policies that have imperiled Israel: a deeply-flawed Iran deal that gifted Iran $150 billion in sanctions relief; the failure to stabilize the war in Syria, which has put Hezbollah, ISIS and other bad actors on Israel’s northern border; and the mishandling of the Arab Spring, which has brought chronic instability throughout Israel’s already-nasty neighborhood.
Will the next administration fix all of that? It’s a tall order.
The Iran deal can certainly be undone. ISIS can be defeated. Iran and Hezbollah can be driven from Syria. And some of the region’s nasty internecine conflicts can be mediated. The problem is that this can’t all be accomplished at once. Untangling Obama’s mess will require prioritization, patience and, above all, thoughtful policies.
But other things can be fixed more quickly. On Jan. 20, the relationship between the new president and Israel’s prime minister seems set to improve immeasurably. Based on statements from both leaders, the “special relationship” will be special again. Donald Trump appears poised to rhetorically defend Israel against its many enemies and to do nothing to prevent Israel from defending itself. He also appears ready to veto any new anti-Israel measures at the U.N. Security Council.
Last week’s U.N. vote is not likely to be overturned, however. This was almost certainly part of Obama’s calculus. Obama understood full well that the measure would pave the way for the delegitimization of Israel by some countries, and even put wind in the sails of the propaganda and economic warfare campaign against Israel known as Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions.
True, the outgoing president signed a generous Memorandum of Understanding in September granting $3.8 billion per year in U.S. aid to Israel for a decade. But his eleventh-hour move at the U.N. now promises to subtract from this assistance.
Since the U.N. vote, pro-Israel lawmakers and policy wonks have been considering moves that the new administration might make to mitigate the damage and perhaps even try to inoculate Israel in the future.
Some, notably Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), have called for steep cuts in U.S. funding to the U.N. Such a move would put the U.N. on notice for its pathological fixation on Israel, but also its irredeemable ineffectuality and incalculable corruption.
There are other ways of sending a tough message short of a full funding cut. This could include working to abolish the U.N. Human Rights Council, through which the worst dictatorships and nastiest regimes regularly accuse Israel of alleged crimes, but stand by uselessly while Bashar Assad, Iran, Hezbollah and Russia have carried out unspeakable atrocities in Syria.
Another step could be to either cut funding to or demand the reform of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, which is a U.N. body dedicated entirely to supporting the Palestinian refugee population. UNRWA recognizes some 6.5 million Palestinians as refugees today.
Except this population is overwhelmingly made up of the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the original refugee populations from the 1948 and 1967 wars. Indeed, the original refugee population has dwindled over the years to an estimated 30,000-50,000. In other words, UNRWA has been perpetuating the Palestinian-Israel conflict through heredity, and by not insisting that this population be resettled, as the UN has done with every single other refugee population.
Other legislators, including Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinin (R-Fla.), have repeatedly called for cuts in U.S. assistance to the Palestinian Authority. These calls will almost certainly increase as Congress seeks to reassure Israel in the wake of Obama’s lame-duck maneuvers. Legislators in the past have pointed to incitement, the paying of salaries to convicted terrorists in Israeli prisons, and corruption as justification. They will now point to the Palestinian Authority’s complicity in the recent U.N. vote.
Others have talked about shutting down or downgrading the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) diplomatic representation here in the United States. It’s certainly fair to ask why the United States continues to recognize the PLO as the sole Palestinian representative for diplomatic negotiations when it has refused to negotiate with Israel for years.
But none of this would necessarily protect Israel from the boycotts and assaults on its legitimacy that may stem from the U.N. vote. That’s why some within the incoming administration are reportedly mulling reprisals for European nations that wage economic warfare against Israel. There is also talk of injecting new funds, leadership and urgency into the bureaucracy to fight politically motivated boycotts against America or any of its allies.
Finally, there is talk of moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The move is, of course, enshrined in law, even though Obama and his predecessors have wielded their waiver authorities to block it. Moving the embassy is, by now, a well-known objective of Trump’s incoming ambassador, David Friedman. Should it come to pass, it will be seen as a sign of unequivocal friendship and a full-throated recognition of Israel’s struggle for security and international legitimacy. That is something Israelis haven’t seen for eight years.
Jonathan Schanzer is vice president for research at Foundation for Defense of Democracies.