Ignoring atrocities

The US on Wednesday once again blocked an attempt by the UN Security Council to issue a mere statement expressing concern about the recent Israeli demolition of 10 Palestinian apartment buildings in Sur Baher on the outskirts of Jerusalem. 

The benign draft statement merely stated the obvious by expressing the "concern" of the council about the incompatibility of such Israeli action with the two-state solution to the Palestinian conflict. 

Kuwait, Indonesia and South Africa joined forces to submit the draft statement but their hopes were dashed by US intransigence. What adds insult to injury is the fact that Israel waited for the completion or near completion of the buildings’ construction before it razed them on the pretext that they were too close to the separation barrier that Israel has arbitrarily built in the area and therefore necessary by security exigencies. 

This provocative and illegal action contributed to the forced eviction of Palestinian families and further poisoned the relations between the Palestinians and the Israelis in the vicinity. 

In retrospect, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rendered an advisory opinion in 2004 on the issue by ruling against the construction of the barrier which they deemed unjustified by military exigencies and  therefore is in clear violation of international law. 

Of course, that was not the first or the last time Israel disregarded the rulings of the ICJ and other international bodies on issues related to Jerusalem, in particular, and the Palestinian case in general. 

We all know the reason why Israel continues to defy international norms on the Palestinian conflict and it is none other than the blind support of the US. 

The failed draft statement was the bare minimum stance that the council could have taken on the demolition of Palestinian homes on the outskirts of Jerusalem. 

A much more strongly worded statement should have been submitted to condemn the Israeli destruction of Palestinian homes. Yet, even the modest wording of the draft statement was too much for the US to support. At this rate, the international community can only expect Israel to continue flouting international norms against the Palestinians.