<p>arafat gambled and lost. 1995-2000 was the turning point for my sympathies for Palestinians.</p>
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<p>Have you noticed the record of the UN Commission on Human Rights? In all its years of existence, it has chosen to focus exclusively on Israel…ignoring slavery, child soldiers, female mutilation, and all the other human rights violations that go on around the globe. I don’t think the UN’s record is very good, frankly.</p>
<p>By the beginning of 2007, the Council had spent much of its three regular meetings and four special sessions focusing almost exclusively on the actions of only one country, Israel. The Council has passed eight resolutions condemning Israel, and none condemning any other country. More resolutions targeting Israel have been proposed for the upcoming session.</p>
<p>They produce resolutions at their sessions not statements.</p>
<p>With all the genocide around the world, like what is happening in Tibet, Chechnya, Darfur, not the mention the human rights abuses all over Africa and the Middle East, (let’s just look at Indonesia and Malasia, but we have plenty of other countries guilty of horrific human rights abuses) and the UN only passes resolutions against Israel. Interesting.</p>
<p>So honor killings, genocide, ethnic cleansing, female genital mutilation, etcetcetc, are not anywhere near as bad as anything Israel does. It just baffles the mind, actually.</p>
<p>Don’t forget that the UN General Assembly is largely made up of countries with autocratic/oligarchic governments of one sort of another. They aren’t very motivated to criticize human rights abuses of countries like their own. An unpopular western-style democracy (like Israel) is a perfect target of hypocritical UN hand-wringing.</p>
<p>It’s also useful to remember that anti-Semitism is a close cousin of anti-Zionism, and that it is still widespread in the world – and especially in Moslem countries. As long as I live I will NEVER understand anti-Jewish conspiracy theorists.</p>
<p>You really need to read Protocols of the Elders of Zion, still widespread and popular reading all over the middle east (and elsewhere). There was a rather eye opening exhibit at the WashDC Holocaust Museum last year (may still be there; I don’t know) on this book and beliefs.</p>
<p>The “Jews have all the money and are trying to run the world” is not just hyperbolic silliness to a large segment of people. Do any serious reading of criticism of American foreign policy, and you will see an undercurrent of anti-zionist, bordering on anti-semitic, rhetoric.</p>