During a formal address before the United Nations, President Mahmoud Abbas requested that they acknowledge Palestine as a member of the world body. Abbas said, “It’s time to end the suffering and plight of millions of Palestinians.” President Abbas received a standing ovation from the General Assembly, while back in the Palestinian Territories; activists burned pictures of President Barack Obama.
In his addresses before the General Assembly, Obama, pledged to veto the Palestinians’ statehood request. The question of voting for Obama again goes to a matter of character: Is the way Obama dealt with the Palestinians fair, or correct? American presidents have never been “even-handed” with the Palestinians and Obama is no different. It was U.S. favoritism toward Israel that caused Palestinians to approach the United Nations in the first place. Had Obama played the “honest broker” that many expected after his Cairo speech, the Palestinians would have stuck with bilateral negotiations. Once Obama abandoned any pretense of neutrality, the Palestinians had little choice but to find another way to resolve its conflict.
The “first Black President” is the latest in a series of American presidents “short-shafting” the Palestinians. These days, Obama is simply the one sitting in the presidential seat as the world more closely monitors ways the Palestinians are treated. The Palestinian-Israeli problem has evaded solution since Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning predecessor; Dr. Ralph Bunche helped establish the Israeli state in 1948. It was Bunche’s and the United Nation’s intention that Palestine be made into a place of refuge for Jews after World War II, as well as a place for Arabs. However, when Palestine was made into a country known as “Israel” for the Jews, conflicts began, and from the wars that occurred, Israel obtained more land and the Palestinian-Arabs lost most of theirs. Issues involving: mutual recognition, borders, security, water rights, control of Jerusalem, settlements, Palestine freedom of movement and legalities concerning refugees has spawned a humanitarian crisis in the occupied Palestinian territories, reflected by the world’s leading poverty rates, unemployment and malnutrition.
Blacks should expect more of Obama on this issue. Almost every statement Brother Barack made at the United Nations concerning the Israelis-Palestinians was false and slanted. They were lies that both Obama and the audience knew were falsehoods. At the United Nations, Obama sold out his character and America’s fundamental national and moral interests in a blatant ploy for a second presidential term. In the tradition of past presidents, Obama says that “the Palestinians should have a state of their own”, but they shouldn’t be pushy, not embarrass the U.S., or come to the United Nations. In the Obama plan, the Palestinians must sit with the Israelis, like reasonable people, and work it out with them – like reasonable sheep must sit down with the reasonable wolf and decide what to have for dinner, and foreigners should not interfere.
Over the decades, America has made Israel the largest total recipient of direct U.S. economic and military assistance. Israel receives about $3 billion in direct foreign assistance each year – one fifth of America’s entire foreign aid budget. American money toward Israel is a direct subsidy worth about $500 per year.
“Peace deals” recent American presidential administrations want the Palestinians to embrace are Bantustans on less than 22 percent of historic Palestine. But, due to President Abbas’ deft move, Palestinians’ long-ignored problems are now the center of international attention. President Obama’s miserable performance at the UN put the nail in the coffin of America’s status as a neutral facilitator. Different from African-American voters willing to forgive him; few of the world’s people of color are expected to forgive the way he threw the helpless Palestinians under the bus at the UN. The matter will be addressed by the UN Security Council and General Assembly. The United States holds veto power on the Security Council and pledges to vote down the statehood bid, but in the General Assembly the Palestinians enjoy the support of more than 120 of the 193 members which assures passage of the resolution. (William Reed is available for speaking/seminar projects via BaileyGroup.org)
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