The PA Gets A Taste Of The Arab Lobby At The UN

Nebuch.

The Arab lobby at the United Nations, backed by Russia, foiled a Palestinian Authority initiative to include a condemnation of Hamas' seizure of the Gaza Strip in a UN resolution against Israel.

PA observer Riad Mansour sought to include a clause "expressing concern about the takeover by illegal militias of Palestinian Authority institutions in June 2007" and calling for the reversal of this situation, but moderated the wording under Arab pressure. Russia had made it clear to the Arab delegates that it supported their opposition to a UN resolution including any condemnation of Hamas.

The clause was supposed to be included in a draft resolution against Israel, slated to be voted on this week at a Decolonization Committee meeting. But when Mansour submitted the proposed clause to the Arab representatives for approval, as usual, it met with severe criticism, and he was personally vilified.

You see, any official UN condemnation of Hamas for their coup would supposedly lend legitimacy to Israel's cutting off electricity to Gaza--despite the ability of Ban Ki-Moon and others to play the "collective punishment" card.

It's more than a little ironic to watch the well-oiled Palestinian coalition in the UN used against itself.

Technorati Tag: UN and United Nations.