# Is the UN even handed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 8, 2002, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-un-even-handed/107857 "2002-05-08T04:44:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-un-even-handed/107857/1 "2002-05-08T04:44:21Z")
In Ha’Aretz today - > [@](#): > > Sponsored by Sudan on behalf of the Arab group of U.N. member-nations, the resolution “condemns the attacks committed by the Israeli occupying forces against the Palestinian people in several Palestinian cities, particularly in the Jenin refugee camp.” > > It also condemned Israel’s refusal to cooperate with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s fact-finding mission to Jenin and asked Annan to prepare a report on what happened there based on “available resources and information.” > > The resolution passed 74 to 4 with 54 abstentions. The United States, Israel, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia voted “no,” while almost every European nation was among the abstentions. > … > Following word of the bombing, European Union members sought new language condemning suicide attacks, but Arab envoys turned them down. “The bombing”, of course, refers to today’s murders in Tel Aviv. Hmmm. Israel has no right to ask that an investigating team be free of preconceptions and fully qualified to investigate all sides of said events, and Israel is to be condemned for defending itself (in means more selective and riskier than the bombing methods preferred by the US, for example), but condemning suicide attacks by Arabs is not allowed. The Arab envoys can turn that down. Glad we got that straight. ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-un-even-handed/107857/2 "2002-05-08T05:00:55Z")
Is there a problem with Israel drafting another Resolution condemning today’s bombing (rather than co-opting this Arab Resolution) ? ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-un-even-handed/107857/3 "2002-05-08T05:08:20Z")
The UN seems pretty even handed to me. Israel should be condemned for basically going into towns to simply tear down buildings and humiliate Palestinians. They should be condemned for blocking any international group from going into Jenin (including reporters for the while). And no, there isn’t a problem with a new Resolution condemning the bombing being circulated. As the vote shows, though, most of the nations in the world (there aren’t 74 Arab nations in the world, btw) see Israel’s actions against the Palestinians to be reprehensible. Especially 3rd World states, seeing as it totally reminds them of their colonized past. ---
**Author:** ![LarryDL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c77e96/32.png) [@LarryDL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LarryDL)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-un-even-handed/107857/4 "2002-05-08T06:18:25Z")
Were it not for the UN, there would be no Israel. The region would still be shown as ‘Palestine’ on all the maps. ---
**Author:** ![Mandos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mandos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mandos)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-un-even-handed/107857/5 "2002-05-08T20:03:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ISiddiqui \* > \*\*Israel should be condemned for basically going into towns to simply tear down buildings and humiliate Palestinians. They should be condemned for blocking any international group from going into Jenin (including reporters for the while). > > \*\* Have you properly researched this topic? You see, what you are basically saying is that all Israel is doing is running around, randomly bulldozing buildings with the only motivation being the humiliation of the Palestinian people. This is a serious accusation, and I would like to see your basis. Second, the fact-finding mission was not completely impartial. Please provide cites (oh, and if you want to read the argument here about Jenin copy and paste this: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=112178&highlight=jenin](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=112178&highlight=jenin) .) ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-un-even-handed/107857/6 "2002-05-08T20:24:12Z")
I’m glad to see the OP is even-handed.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-un-even-handed/107857/7 "2002-05-08T20:27:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LarryDL \* > \*\*Were it not for the UN, there would be no Israel. The region would still be shown as ‘Palestine’ on all the maps. \*\* It wouldn’t be “Palestine”, either. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-un-even-handed/107857/8 "2002-05-08T20:37:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by London\_Calling \* > \*\*Is there a problem with Israel drafting another Resolution condemning today’s bombing (rather than co-opting this Arab Resolution) ? \*\* The same bloc of Arab and 3rd world nations would prevent it from passing. BTW the anti-Israel resolution that passed was introduced by Sudan – a country that [permits slavery](http://www.anti-slavery.org/slavery.html). ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-un-even-handed/107857/9 "2002-05-08T20:41:52Z")
ISiddiqi: > [@](#): > > As the vote shows, though, most of the nations in the world (there aren’t 74 Arab nations in the world, btw) see Israel’s actions against the Palestinians to be reprehensible. That number 74 includes a bunch of non-Arab muslim nations, who tend to vote with their co-religionists. I haven’t quite seen the roll call on that vote, but I’d be surprised if a large number of the nations on question are non-Muslim. (The Arab League accounts for 22 votes, just for the record)