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Israel and Latin America at the U.N.: A Difficult Relationship

3/23/2017

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Caracas, Venezuela.
Venezuela leads the Latin American "neo-communist" bloc when voting at the U.N. and is dangerously close to Iran.

English

There are areas in which the United Nations has not lived up to the values enshrined in its charter. And in no area is this more visible than in the treatment that this institution gives to the State of Israel, the only true democracy in the Middle East.
 
Israel is criticized at the U.N. more than the world's most atrocious regimes. Much more than Syria, where dictator Bashar al-Assad killed thousands of his own citizens with chemical weapons; much more than North Korea, where people are subject to enslavement, torture, rape and persecution; much more than the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has the worst rates of abuse against women and girls; and much more than Iran, which hangs its homosexuals and murders its dissidents, in addition to being the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism.
 
The U.N.'s obsession with Israel has reached absurd levels, as exemplified by UNESCO's adoption, a few months ago, of resolutions ignoring the Jewish people's ties to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, the most sacred sites for Judaism.
 
In 2016, the U.N. General Assembly passed 20 resolutions condemning Israel and only six on the rest of the world combined, which is really scandalous. This absurd spectacle is possible due to the automatic majority that the sponsors of these resolutions can get among the diplomats that populate the UN building in New York.
 
Of all the anti-Israel resolutions passed every year by the General Assembly, three are particularly harmful as they re-authorize, year after year, the financing of:

  1. The Division on Palestinian Rights (DPR)—the Palestinians are the only people in the world who have their own division within the Department of Political Affairs of the UN Secretariat)
  2. The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP)
  3. The Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arab Inhabitants in the Occupied Territories (SCIIHRP)
 
The main goal of these three entities is to demonize the State of Israel and to question its very right to exist.
 
In fact, it was at one of the conferences organized by CEIRPP in 2005 in Paris, where an effort began to recruit NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) willing to work on a global campaign of boycotts, divestments and sanctions (BDS) against Israel. The ultimate goal of the BDS movement is not to improve the living conditions of the Palestinians but to end the existence of the Jewish state, something that clearly contradicts the principles of the U.N. Charter.
 
And yet, all this harmful anti-Israel propaganda is done in the name of the U.N., is funded by the U.N. and is disseminated through the U.N.'s public information system.
 
Fortunately, some important voices are beginning to speak up against this injustice.
 
In his last address to the U.N. Security Council, former Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon denounced the disproportionate number of resolutions, reports and committees against Israel that the U.N. has produced for decades.
 
Most significantly, Nikki Haley, the new U.S. representative to the U.N., strongly criticized the U.N. Security Council’s animosity towards Israel after her first meeting at this body. Haley rightfully described how a Middle East meeting focused almost exclusively on Israel, instead of addressing the region's most pressing issues, such as Hezbollah's illegal operations in Lebanon, Iran's provision of weapons to terrorists, the need to defeat ISIS and the measures that should be taken against Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
 
The countries of Latin America have pretty poor records when it comes to their votes at the General Assembly on Israel-related resolutions. In 2016, the United States and Canada voted “against” 18 anti-Israel resolutions. This is how the countries of Latin America voted on those same resolutions:
 
The countries that make up what we call the Latin American "neo-communist bloc" (that is, Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Ecuador) voted “in favor” of all of them, and so did Brazil, Chile, the Dominican Republic and El Salvador. 
 
Costa Rica and Uruguay voted for 17; Argentina and Mexico for 16; Colombia and Peru for 15; Guatemala for 14; Panama for 11; Honduras for 5; and Paraguay for 4.
 
With regard to the three most harmful resolutions, the picture is a little more encouraging. The votes in 2016 divided as follows:
 
Guatemala voted against the three important resolutions, something unprecedented in Latin America and truly commendable.
 
Honduras voted against one of these resolutions and abstained on the other two.
 
Colombia, Panama, Paraguay and Peru abstained on all three (in the case of Paraguay, it is important to highlight its general record since, like Honduras; it abstains on almost all anti-Israel resolutions).
 
Mexico abstained in two and voted for one (this was a step in the right direction since Mexico used to vote in favor of two).
 
Argentina, Costa Rica and Uruguay abstained on one and voted for two (as in previous years).
 
And finally, the neo-communist bloc (Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Ecuador) plus Brazil, Chile, the Dominican Republic and El Salvador voted in favor of all three.
 
It’s worth noting that Chile is the only case in which we can confidently say that its U.N. votes are a reflection of the country's outlook on Israel (which is heavily influenced by its large community of Palestinian descent). In all the other cases, the votes on Israel reflect the countries' general political outlook: the closer they are to the neo-communist bloc (which under the leadership of Venezuela has become dangerously close to Iran in recent years), the more they are inclined to vote against Israel.
 
In this context, it is to be expected that the new governments of the region (many of whom are moving away from populism and showing greater respect for democratic values, as is the cases of Argentina and Brazil) begin to reconsider many of the votes that their diplomats cast at the U.N.
 
In many cases, there is a tendency among diplomats to keep voting in the same way year after year. This is why it is crucial to alert these new governments on the importance of the anti-Israel resolutions at the U.N., so that they can give appropriate instructions to their ambassadors and make sure their votes truly reflect the country's position on these important issues.

español

Hay ámbitos en los que la Organización de las Naciones Unidas (O.N.U.) no ha vivido de acuerdo a los valores consagrados en su carta fundacional. Y en ningún ámbito es esto más visible que en el trato que esta institución le da al Estado de Israel, la única verdadera democracia en Oriente Medio.
 
Israel es criticado en la O.N.U. más que los regímenes más atroces del mundo. Mucho más que Siria, en donde el dictador Bashar al-Assad asesino a miles de sus propios ciudadanos con armas químicas; mucho más que Corea del Norte, en donde muchas personas son sometidas a esclavitud, tortura, violación o persecución; mucho más que la República Democrática del Congo, que tiene las peores tasas de abuso contra mujeres y niñas; y mucho más que Irán, que cuelga a sus homosexuales y asesina a sus disidentes, además de ser el mayor patrocinador estatal de terrorismo del mundo.
 
La obsesión de las Naciones Unidas con Israel ha alcanzado niveles absurdos, como lo demuestra la adopción por parte de la UNESCO, hace unos meses, de resoluciones que ignoran los lazos del pueblo judío con el Monte del Templo y el Muro Occidental, los sitios más sagrados para el judaísmo.
 
En 2016, la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas aprobó 20 resoluciones sobre Israel y sólo seis sobre el resto del mundo, lo que es realmente escandaloso. Este absurdo espectáculo es posible debido a la mayoría automática que los patrocinadores de estas resoluciones pueden conseguir entre los diplomáticos que pueblan el edificio de la O.N.U. en Nueva York.
 
De todas las resoluciones anti-israelíes aprobadas cada año por la Asamblea General, tres son particularmente perjudiciales, ya que re-autorizan, año tras año, el financiamiento de:

  1. La División de Derechos Palestinos (DPR), los palestinos son el único pueblo del mundo que tiene su propia división dentro del Departamento de Asuntos Políticos de la Secretaría de la O.N.U.)
  2. El Comité para el Ejercicio de los Derechos Inalienables del Pueblo Palestino (CEIRPP)
  3. El Comité Especial Encargado de Investigar las Prácticas Israelíes que Afectan a los Derechos Humanos del Pueblo Palestino y de otros Habitantes Árabes en los Territorios Ocupados (SCIIHRP)
 
El objetivo principal de estas tres entidades es demonizar el Estado de Israel y cuestionar su derecho a existir.
 
De hecho, fue en una de las conferencias organizadas por CEIRPP, en 2005 en París, en donde se comenzó a reclutar ONGs dispuestas a trabajar en una campaña global de boicots, desinversiones y sanciones contra Israel. El objetivo final del movimiento BDS no es mejorar las condiciones de vida de los palestinos sino poner fin a la existencia del Estado judío, algo que contradice claramente los principios de la Carta de las Naciones Unidas.
 
Y sin embargo, toda esta propaganda anti-Israelí se hace en nombre de la O.N.U., se financia con fondos de la O.N.U., y se difunde a través del sistema de información pública de la O.N.U.
 
Afortunadamente, algunas voces importantes están empezando a hablar en contra de esta injusticia.
 
En su último discurso ante el Consejo de Seguridad de la O.N.U., el ex Secretario General Ban Ki Moon denunció el número desproporcionado de resoluciones, informes y comités contra Israel que la O.N.U. ha producido durante décadas.
 
Asimismo, Nikki Haley, la nueva representante de los Estados Unidos ante la O.N.U., criticó enérgicamente la animosidad del Consejo de Seguridad hacia Israel después de su primera reunión en este organismo. Haley describió con razón cómo una reunión sobre Oriente Medio se centró casi exclusivamente en Israel, en lugar de abordar los asuntos más apremiantes de la región, como las operaciones ilegales de Hezbollah en el Líbano, la provisión de armas por parte de Irán a terroristas, la necesidad de derrotar a ISIS y las medidas que deberían tomarse contra Bashar al-Assad en Siria.
 
Los países de América Latina tienen un récord bastante pobre en lo que se refiere a sus votos en la Asamblea General, cuando se trata de resoluciones relacionadas con Israel. En 2016, Estados Unidos y Canadá votaron "en contra" de 18 resoluciones anti-Israelíes. Los países de América Latina votaron de la siguiente manera (teniendo en consideración esas mismas 18 resoluciones):
 
Los países que componen lo que llamamos el "bloque neo-comunista" de América Latina (es decir, Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua y Ecuador) votaron "a favor" de todas ellas, al igual que Brasil, Chile, la República Dominicana y El Salvador.
 
Costa Rica y Uruguay votaron por 17, Argentina y México por 16, Colombia y Perú por 15, Guatemala por 14, Panamá por 11, Honduras por 5 y Paraguay por 4.
 
Con respecto a las tres resoluciones más perjudiciales, el panorama es un poco más alentador. Los votos en 2016 se dividieron de la siguiente forma:
 
Guatemala votó en contra de las tres resoluciones importantes, algo sin precedentes en América Latina y verdaderamente encomiable.
 
Honduras votó en contra de una de estas resoluciones y se abstuvo en las otras dos.
 
Colombia, Panamá, Paraguay y Perú se abstuvieron en las tres (en el caso de Paraguay, es importante destacar su récord general, ya que, al igual que Honduras, se abstiene en casi todas las resoluciones anti-Israelíes).
 
México se abstuvo en dos y votó a favor de una (lo que significó un cambio positivo ya que México solía votar a favor de dos).
 
Argentina, Costa Rica y Uruguay se abstuvieron en una y votaron a favor de dos (como en años anteriores).
 
Finalmente, el bloque neo-comunista (Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua y Ecuador) más Brasil, Chile, la República Dominicana y El Salvador votaron a favor de las tres.
 
Vale la pena señalar que Chile es el único caso en el que podemos afirmar con seguridad que sus votos de la O.N.U. son un reflejo de la posición que el país tiene con respecto a Israel (la que esta fuertemente influenciada por su gran comunidad local de ascendencia palestina). En todos los demás casos, los votos sobre Israel reflejan la perspectiva política general de los países: cuanto más cerca están del bloque neo-comunista (que bajo la dirección de Venezuela se ha acercado peligrosamente a Irán en los últimos años), mayor es su inclinación a votar en contra de Israel.
 
En este contexto, es de esperarse que los nuevos gobiernos de la región (muchos de los cuales se han alejado de los populismos de izquierda y están mostrando un mayor respeto por los valores democráticos, como es el caso de Argentina y Brasil) comiencen a reconsiderar muchos de los votos que sus representantes emiten en la O.N.U.
 
En muchos casos, existe una tendencia entre los diplomáticos a seguir votando de la misma manera año tras año. Por eso es fundamental alertar a estos nuevos gobiernos sobre la importancia de las resoluciones anti-Israelíes en las Naciones Unidas, de manera que puedan dar instrucciones a sus embajadores y asegurarse de que sus votos reflejen verdaderamente la posición del país en estas importantes cuestiones.

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Adriana Camisar, is an attorney by training who holds a graduate degree in international law and diplomacy from The Fletcher School (Tufts University). She has been B'nai B'rith International Special Advisor on Latin American Affairs since late 2008. In 2013 she relocated to Argentina, her native country. Prior to joining B'nai B'rith International, she worked as a research assistant to visiting Professor Luis Moreno Ocampo (former Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court), at Harvard University; interned at the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs; worked at a children's rights organization in San Diego, Calif.; and worked briefly as a research assistant to the Secretary for Legal Affairs at the Organization of American States (OAS). To view some of her additional content, Click Here.
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Israel Is Strengthening Ties With Several Latin American States, But Will This Impact The Way These Countries Vote At The U.N.?

12/15/2016

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Asunción, Paraguay
There are reasons to be optimistic about the progress of the bilateral relations between Israel and several Latin American states. Changes in the leadership of several countries, as well as a more proactive Israeli policy towards the region, are proving quite promising. On the other hand, it seems that there is still a long way to go when it comes to translating these good relations into changes in the voting patterns of some of these countries at the United Nations on resolutions involving Israel.
 
Let’s start with Paraguay. From the moment, Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes took office in August of 2013; the relations with Israel (which had already improved during the interim government of President Franco) got a strong boost. The Paraguayan government started to distinguish itself from other voices in the region and took a principled stance every time Israeli actions were judged by other nations. During the latest Gaza war, for example, there was an attempt at a meeting of Mercosur (the economic bloc that includes Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Venezuela) to issue a joint communiqué strongly condemning Israeli actions. Paraguay opposed this measure. And it took similar positions in support of Israel in different international forums. Today, Paraguay abstains on almost all anti-Israel resolutions at the United Nations.
 
An important step taken by Israel to strengthen the bilateral relations with Paraguay was the decision to re-open the Israeli Embassy in Asuncion (which was closed in 2002 for budgetary reasons). This was very well received in Asuncion by both the Paraguayan government and the local Jewish community.
 
Three key anti-Israel resolutions were put to a vote at the General Assembly a few days ago. These are the resolutions that renew, year after year, the mandates and the funding authorizations for the following entities: 1. the Palestinian Rights Division; 2. the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People; and 3. the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People. These resolutions are very important because they maintain a powerful anti-Israel propaganda apparatus that functions under U.N. auspices.
 
Paraguay kept its abstentions on these three anti-Israel resolutions this year. Even though these abstentions are highly appreciated, it would be desirable for Paraguay to go a step further and cast “no” votes, as abstentions unfortunately do not prevent resolutions from being approved at the General Assembly. Time will tell if Paraguay will be ready to make that positive move, in light of the increasingly close relations between this South American nation and Israel.
 
Israel’s relations with Peru have also improved in recent years. But Peru’s recent role at UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee was a cause for concern. The Peruvian representative actively supported a draft resolution (when the Committee met in Istanbul last July) that was quite insulting to Jews,  referring to the most sacred places for Judaism only by their Muslim names (it was, of course, insulting to Christians as well). The draft resolution could not be put to a vote because of the attempted coup in Turkey but when it came up again in October, Peru abstained, which clearly showed that the ambassador received instructions in this regard from the new government of Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who took office in late July. The outlook of the new president, a brilliant economist who spent many years in the United States, and who has Jewish roots, bears well for the progress of the bilateral relations between Israel and Peru.
 
Peru has abstained on these anti-Israel resolutions at the General Assembly for many years now, and it kept these abstentions this year. As in the case of Paraguay though, it would be desirable for Peru to start voting “no.”
 
The arrival of Mauricio Macri to the presidency of Argentina in December of 2015, which put an end to the 12 years of “Kirchnerismo,” opened a window of opportunity for improving this country’s bilateral relations with Israel. And the positive signs are many. One of the first things President Macri did when taking office was to nullify the shameful “pact” that the previous government had signed with Iran to “jointly investigate” the 1994 terrorist attack against the AMIA Jewish Center (the worst terrorist attack ever suffered by Argentina or any other Latin American country). The president also promised to guarantee the independence of the judiciary so that the mysterious death of AMIA case Prosecutor Alberto Nisman, and the complaint that he had made against the government, are properly investigated.
 
Last April, the Executive Board of UNESCO approved a very troublesome anti-Israel and anti-Jewish resolution. The Argentine representative supported it but, when the resolution was taken up by the plenary last October, Argentina abstained. With regard to the three key General Assembly resolutions, since 2004, Argentina voted “for” two of these resolutions and “abstains” on one. Unfortunately, there were no changes this year in this regard.
 
Since Brazilian President Michel Temer took office last August, the country’s sometimes shaky relations with Israel appear to have entered a new phase. His Foreign Minister Jose Serra is close to the local Jewish community, and the government seems to be determined to get Brazil’s foreign policy a new turn. We still need to see if this will indeed happen, as Brazil’s powerful Foreign Ministry (Itamaraty) has proved over the years to be quite resistant to change. But there has been already a positive sign when it comes to Israel. Even though Brazil supported the troublesome resolution approved by UNESCO’s Executive Board last October, the Ministry issued a communiqué stating that unless the text is revised, Brazil will not support a similar resolution in the future. A small but positive step in the right direction. Brazil, however, supports, year after year, the three important General Assembly anti-Israel resolutions and, unfortunately, there were no changes this year.
 
Something very interesting happened in Mexico, a country that for many years has consistently voted against Israel at the United Nations and other international forums. President Enrique Peña Nieto traveled to Israel recently and promised that Mexico would not support the biased UNESCO resolution that was going to be put to a vote in October. His decision, however, was never transmitted by the career diplomats in the Foreign Ministry to Mexico’s new UNESCO representative, who happened to be Jewish. He cast a “yes” vote but not without protest. The local Jewish community then made its voice heard and Mexico (after trying unsuccessfully to modify its vote) decided to abstain in the plenary.
 
In addition, at the General Assembly, Mexico moved from “yes” to “abstain” on one of the three important resolutions, which is a pretty significant step.
 
Since President Tabaré Vasquez returned to Uruguay’s presidential office in March of 2015, that country’s relations with Israel made a turn for the better. Even though Vasquez belongs to the left-wing Frente Amplio party (the same party of former President Jose Mujica), he is a far more centrist leader and has interesting personal ties to Israel, as he had the opportunity to do post-doctoral studies at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot several years ago.
 
With regard to Uruguay’s votes at the General Assembly, like Argentina, Uruguay votes for two of the resolutions and abstains on one. There were unfortunately no changes this year.
 
Guatemala has given us a pleasant surprise this year. After a recent visit that President Jimmy Morales paid to Israel, during which the Israeli government pledged to support Guatemala on a number of areas, the Guatemalan U.N. representative cast a “no” vote on the three key anti-Israel resolutions, something that has no precedents in Latin America. This is a very important development and a strong sign of friendship between the two countries.
 
The bilateral relations between Israel and Honduras have improved considerably in the last few years. And this change has been reflected in the way Honduras votes at the U.N. This year, even though Honduras has kept its abstentions on two of the three important anti-Israel resolutions at the General Assembly, it cast a “no” vote on one of them, which is quite important.
 
Colombia continues to have excellent relations with Israel, even though President Santos does not have the same kind of personal ties that Former President Uribe had both with the Jewish community and Israel. Colombia has abstained on the three key anti-Israel resolutions at the UN for a number of years now and there were no changes this year.
 
Panama was, until now, the only Latin American country that voted “no” on one of the three key anti-Israel resolutions (the Special Committee to Investigate Human Rights Practices). This was a decision made by Former President Martinelli, who had excellent ties with Israel and the Jewish community. This year, Panama’s U.N. representative cast a “yes” vote when this resolution was put to a vote at the General Assembly’s Fourth Committee. A pretty dramatic change as it is unusual for countries to move from “no” to “yes.” The local Jewish community reached out to President Carlos Varela and this is probably why, when the resolution was taken up by the plenary, Panama abstained. Still, this move from “no” to “abstain” represents an important setback in the bilateral relations between Panama and Israel.
 
The current political environment is certainly favorable for the relations between Israel and Latin America to grow. And there is a lot that Israel can contribute to the countries of the region in the fields of agriculture, technology, security, science, education, etc. But Israel must ensure that the improvement of its ties with several Latin American states has a certain impact in the way these countries vote at the U.N., especially when it comes to resolutions that makes it possible for a powerful and strongly biased anti-Israel propaganda apparatus to operate under the U.N. roof.

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Adriana Camisar, is an attorney by training who holds a graduate degree in international law and diplomacy from The Fletcher School (Tufts University). She has been B'nai B'rith International Special Advisor on Latin American Affairssince late 2008, and Special Advisor on Latin American Affairs since 2013, when she relocated to Argentina, her native country. Prior to joining B'nai B'rith International, she worked as a research assistant to visiting Professor Luis Moreno Ocampo (former Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court), at Harvard University; interned at the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs; worked at a children's rights organization in San Diego, CA; and worked briefly as a research assistant to the Secretary for Legal Affairs at the Organization of American States (OAS). To view some of her additional content, Click Here.
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Rethoric Instead Of Real Peace

2/12/2016

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On Feb. 3, a few minutes after three Palestinians who lived in Jenin murdered a young Israeli police officer who was19-yearsold, and also seriously injured two more, the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas hosted in his office, in Ramallah, a delegation of families of those who in the last four months have killed 34 Israelis—mostly civilians—and have left hundreds of wounded people from babies to seniors, in tens of terrorist attacks. 
 
Abbas had no shame to deliver to world media a short video showing how he hosted the families of the terrorists. Very close to Abbas it was possible to watch Jabel Mukaber, father of Baha Alyan, who murdered three Israeli civilians inside a bus in Armon Hanatziv, Jerusalem, four months ago.
 
During the meeting, Abbas underlined that the sons of those who were visiting him are “martyrs.”
 
Not far from there, in Gaza, Husam Badran, speaker of the terrorist organization Hamas, said publicly that the attack on Feb. 3,  “Has been a blessing action in the ‘holy intifada’, and that the terrorists have had a lot of ‘courage’.” He also added that “the attack with knives and guns made by our ‘rebels’ show that our people want the intifada to move on.”
In the meantime, a Fatah official tweet supported the terrorist attacks, published the photos of the killers and put this message: “They were three men competing who were going to die first. They are symbols to imitate; heroes and a great honor to our land.”
 
The honest intentions of few countries in the Security Council to get Israelis and Palestinians sitting at a table, face- to- face to discuss peace in a serious way and, on the other hand, the evil purpose of those who use the U.N. to encourage terrorism, both are intentions crushing with real life.
 
Latin American governments are still divided on the matter, but there have been some changes in the last months.
 
Uruguay, as chair of the Security Council in January, called for a special meeting to discuss the situation in the Middle East, including the Syrian war and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
 
Uruguay insists on a dialogue between the two sides, which is a change with its stand in the last five years, but only Paraguay, Colombia and Panama (which are not Security Council members at this time) would agree. It is possible that the new Argentinean government could also join them.
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During the meeting, Abbas underlined that the sons of those who were visiting him are "martyrs."
But the rest of Latin America, or runs behind the hate speech of the Venezuelan government (followed with strength by Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua and Ecuador) or stay in ambiguity (Caribbean) or stay “neutral” (Chile and Peru).
 
Brazil, the largest power in the region is confronting Israel in several fields. The controversy of the nomination of the Israeli ambassador in Brazil has frozen political relations but not the economic ones. But the political relations influence fully in Brazilian speeches, which follow the Palestinian stand and are not clear with the Quartet demand of both sides sitting at the peace table and starting a dialogue.
 
With Latin America divided in its opinions; with Europe close to Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), Abbas and Hamas feel encouraged. Terrorists are “martyrs,” their families receive money as compensation; and murderers are glorified in streets and squares.
 
There is no possible or viable dialogue when both sides are so far from one another. But if the Security Council would be serious with its obligations, and the Quartet would be real and executive, Abbas could not be praising terrorism.
 
But if a member of the Quartet believes that terrorism can be justified due to “frustrations,” the only step in the path of peace is the step backwards. Nothing on earth can justify terrorism. There is no “good” or “bad” terrorism. There is terrorism. Period. And the U.N. must be serious in this regard, because with such statements, not only are terrorists encouraged to go on, but countries, like many Latin Ameican ones, fall in deep confusion and finally endorse what they should never endorse: terror.
 
Is there any member of the Security Council who really believe that in a democracy like Israel, people and government can stay still forever, while terrorists kill its citizens in the streets every day? No country in the world would accept it.  
 
Why Israel? What is the U.N. waiting for? To wake up one morning and accuse Israel of “disproportionate use of force,” as it has happened each time Israel has defended its citizens?
 
When the government and people of Israel will say enough of terror, Israel will pay again the price of permanent international hostility. But those who are going to suffer much more, will be the Palestinians, which are victims of their own so called leaders and of the most used exchange coin of today´s world: international indifference.

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Eduardo Kohn, Ph.D., has been the B’nai B’rith executive vice president in Uruguay since 1981 and the B’nai B’rith International director of Latin American affairs since 1984. Before joining B'nai B'rith, he worked for the Israeli embassy in Uruguay, the Israel-Uruguay Chamber of Commerce and Hebrew College in Montevideo. He is a published author of “Zionism, 100 years of Theodor Herzl,” and writes op-eds for publications throughout Latin America. He graduated from the State University of Uruguay with a doctorate in diplomacy and international affairs. To view some of his additional content, Click Here.
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