France Supports Terror, Opposes Israel
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Courtesy Of: Haaretz.com
By Shlomo Shamir and Aluf Benn
Mon, November 20, 2006

The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a resolution on Friday calling for the creation of a "fact-finding" body to investigate the killing of 19 Palestinians by an accidental Israeli barrage.

The Israel Defense Forces artillery barrage struck the Gaza town of Beit Hanun on November 8. The resolution is a watered-down version of a previous draft. It expresses "deep sorrow" over the killings, but does not condemn Israel.

Nonetheless, Israel's ambassador to the international body described the assembly's special emergency session on IDF operations in the Gaza Strip as a "farce" and a "circus."

...Gillerman also said, "The General Assembly of the UN is being held hostage by forces of evil," adding, "Whoever supports this resolution is assisting terrorists."

...Meanwhile, Israeli sources at the United Nations noted that France played a particularly "hostile" role vis-a-vis Israel in the preparations leading to the vote on the resolution.

The French ambassador to the UN, Jean-Marc de La Sabliere, and his staff were instrumental in coordinating with the Palestinian and Arab League missions regarding the resolution's text.

"France has become an Arab mission at the European Union," diplomats said. France also played a leading role in an anti-Israeli resolution at the Council for Human Rights in Geneva last week, which also called for a fact-finding mission.

Ambassador Gillerman was particularly incensed by the French stance. During his address to the General Assembly, he turned to the French delegation and asked rhetorically:

"If they were bombing a French town from across the border, would you send them flowers?" "The French were more active in furthering the passing of the resolution that the Qataris, who initially presented the resolution," he said.

He blamed the French for convincing EU countries that wanted to abstain from the vote, such as Germany and Poland, to vote in favor of the resolution.

"What motivated the French was the situation in Lebanon," Gillerman surmised. "This was their expression over the continuation of Israeli overflights in Lebanon, which they believe endanger their troops there."

...The United States strongly opposed the resolution. U.S. ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, warned that the resolution would undermine the relevance of the United Nations in international affairs.

The U.S. diplomat said that while Washington regrets the loss of life, it is "disturbed at language in the resolution that is in many places biased against Israel and politically motivated."

"This sort of resolution would intensify the tensions and will serve the interests of elements hostile to Israel, who refuse to recognize its right to exist," he said. Furthermore, "doubts regarding the UN's ability to fulfill a positive role in the region" will increase as a result of the resolution.

Source:
http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/789515.html