tclock@orion.oac.uci.edu  writes: OB> In article <1993Apr28.143720.9580@Virginia.EDU> ab4z@Virginia.EDU ("Andi Beyer") writes: > >adam@endor.uucp  writes: > >> In article <1993Apr25.181351.1373@Virginia.EDU> ab4z@Virginia.EDU ("Andi Beyer") writes: > >>  > >> >	The UN has tried many times to condemn Israel for its > >> >gross violation of human rights. > >>  > >> 	The UN has also failed to condemn gross violations of human > >> rights in many other places around the globe and in the middle east, > >> thus leading many people to conclude that the UN is biased in whom in > >> chooses to condemn. > >>  > >> 	A short, incomplete list of things the UN didn't even consider > >> condemning: > >>  > >>  > >>      Incident                           Security Council Response > >>      ------------------------------------------------------------ > >>  > >>   2. Gassing to death of over 8,000 Kurds by                 NONE > >>      Iraqi Air Force, 1988-89     > >>   6. 30,000 civilians slaughtered by government              NONE > >>      troops in Hama, Syria, 1982                                 > >>   7. Killing of 5,000 Palestinians by Jordanian troops,      NONE > >>      thousands expelled, Sept., 1970                                 > >>  14. Syria kills 23,000 Palestinians, 1976                   NONE > >>  16. Yemen: 13,000 killed in two weeks, 1986                 NONE > >>  17. Sudan: Tens of thousands of Black slaves,               NONE > >>      Civil War toll, 1 million killed, 3 million refugees         > >>  19. Rumania, 3,000 killed, 1989                             NONE > >>  21. Northern Ireland                                        NONE > >>  22. Cambodia (the killing fields, 1-2 million murdered)     NONE > >>  27. Syrian soldiers slaughter Christian soldiers            NONE > >>      after they surrender, 1990                                        > >>   > >> Adam Shostack 				       adam@das.harvard.edu > >>  > >	Wow, if you were the only source of news around the > >world it would seem that Israel is being treated unfairly. > >luckily, that is not the case. I suggest reading european > >papers rather than Israeli propaganda (Arab papers wouldn't > >hurt either to see the propaganda of the other side). Anyway > >you are an example of what happens when people chose what to > >read. Don't get me wrong, it is perfectly within your rights. > >Just don't go off acting like you're objective. >  > I'm unclear here. Are you saying that these events DID NOT occurr? > As you know, the UN neither condemned nor expressed outrage *at any* > of the events listed (I retained those that reflected "policies" > of murder and abuse). Is that an irrelevent fact to you? >  > While I *do* expect Israel's abusive policies to be condemned > where appropriate, are you saying that you do not notice any > degree of "selective morality" on the UN's part? Do you also > find it convenient (and easy) to blithely ignor particular abhorrant > acts simply because the perpetrators don't happen to be on your > "bad guys" list?  >  >  > -- > Tim Clock                                   Ph.D./Graduate student > UCI  tel#: 714,8565361                      Department of Politics and Society >      fax#: 714,8568441                      University of California - Irvine > Home tel#: 714,8563446                      Irvine, CA 92717 	I have to say I think this is the first time there has been something posted that opposed me without making personal insults. Congradulations tim. I think the other people answered you on most of the factual parts(esp. about the internal conflicts policy).  	Israel very often gets away with more than most other nations (Due to U.S. vetos). While I am not familiar with every instance I know that the reason Saudi Arabia was not condemned for killig the pilgrims was that the pilgrims were iranian. Yes, the UN is biased but mostly in favor of the US and its allies (Including Israel, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan) and against "Outlaw" countries like iran and more recently Iraq. Far be it from me to support the repressive governments there but I think they get more slack than Israel for things they do "wrong". Again the reason some condemnations don't occur lies in the race or country of the victims. The gassed Iraqi kurds got associated with Iran in the war and since Iran was perceived as worse than Iraq no condemnation resulted. The palestinians killed by arab countries involved another case of who cares. It seems that until very recently no one cared about how many palestinians died anywhere (including in Israel and the occupied territories). 	Again I appreciate the lack of personal insults.