Analysis: Can Israel count on Germany at the UN?

[King_David]

BENJAMIN WEINTHAL


BERLIN – Germany’s scattered and unpredictable UN policy has placed large question marks over German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle’s commitment to Israel’s security interests, efforts to combat UN-sponsored anti- Semitism, and advance democracy movements in the Arab world.

Germany faced in March a major democratic litmus test at the UN: Either vote with the leading democracies, the United States, Britain and France, to impose a no-flight zone over Libya or abstain with Russia and China.

Westerwelle directed Germany’s UN Ambassador Peter Wittig to join forces with the non-democracies.

Westerwelle is now confronted with – it can be argued – a new democratic test.

Will Germany’s diplomats participate in an anti-Israel UN Durban III commemoration conference? The slated Durban III event, which pays tribute to the Durban I political document attacking Israel, will take place on September 22 in New York City.

The first UN anti-racism conference held in Durban, South Africa, in 2001 degenerated into a pro-racism and anti- Semitic event, in which participants circulated flyers with Hitler’s photo, which stated “What if I had won? The good things: there would be no Israel.”

Defending Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s decision to walk away from the Durban III event on Tuesday, her spokesman said “We have not been convinced that the high-level meeting will avoid unbalanced criticism of Israel and the airing of anti-Semitic views.”

Australia now is part of the anti-Durban camp, which includes Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Israel, the United States, and the Czech Republic.


http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=235177

[aquart]

1. How entertaining.