Importance of the UN Security Council
In the UN, the Security Council is an exclusive "club" --a small group that can impose its will on 192 member nations of the UN.
The chief power holders of the Security Council are its permanent members: USA, China, Russia, France, Britain. 10 other members are elected by the 192 nations.
On Oct. 12, 2011 votes were cast and Canada was not selected for Security Council membership, while India, South Africa, and Colombia, and earlier, Germany, were.
News media, especially in Canada, are debating why this happened. The article below says,
THE REAL REASON FOR THE SNUB IS CANADA'S UNWAVERING SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL.
Reactions at the UN when Canada is not getting enough votes
photo ref. Globe and Mail Oct. 12, 2010 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canada-abandons-un-bid-in-embarrassing-turn-for-harper/article1753222/
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Canada Stands Tall
David Warren a widely traveled writer on the Middle East and international affairs for The Ottawa Citizen makes important points relating the vote against Canada to its stand for Israel. Excerpts from Warren's column dated Oct. 17, 2010 follow: ref. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/technology/Canada+stands+tall/3680976/story.html
There was a moment this week in which I felt very proud to be Canadian. There could be moments like that in any week, but this one was unusual for its cause. It was something done by the government, that invoked principle, and required courage. That made it something rare, to be savoured....
So let us not miss this opportunity to praise the Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper. He cost Canada a coveted seat on the UN Security Council, by refusing to sell out Israel. He withdrew our candidacy when it became apparent that the bloc vote of Arab and Islamic states (about a third of the UN membership) had been turned against us; thereby conceding the seat to Portugal, with her more flexible policy of moral appeasement.
In the course of scotching our bid, Harper allowed the announcement of an important trading agreement between Canada and Israel to go ahead, the very day before the vote. This could easily have been disguised or elided.
He likewise demurred on an attempt by the United Arab Emirates to link landing rights for commercial aviation to foreign policy positions.
In addition to organizing opposition to Canada's Security Council bid, the Emirates have now unilaterally withdrawn Canadian access to Camp Mirage, which we have been using through the last decade in the deployment of our troops to Afghanistan.
In a further move as characteristically petty and childish as it was shoddy, the UAE refused overflight permission to a plane carrying our defence minister home from a visit to Afghanistan.
Among all western nations -- not excluding the United States -- Canada has taken the clearest stand in defence of Israel's legitimate rights and interests. We have paid, and we will continue to pay for this. And we should take genuine pride in paying for our defiance of efforts by the Arab and Muslim bloc at the UN to isolate Israel, and make her a pariah.
....Our government is rather maintaining a policy that has been consistent for more than six decades, since the state of Israel was created by the same United Nations after the Second World War.
We have affirmed and continue to affirm Israel's right to exist, as a Jewish nation -- just as she was from the beginning. And in a region where there are many squalid governments, and almost all formally claim to be "Islamic states" -- where all except Israel belong to the only explicitly religious international bloc (the Organization of the Islamic Conference) -- we rightly refuse to dignify objections to what they call "Zionism....."
I have added the boldface type and unscoring as well as the 2 pictures...Dr. Carol
WHAT DO YOU THINK??
Thanks a lot for your prayers, kind heart, and encouragement. Cherie.
Posted by: Dr. Carol Cohen | 09/27/2011 at 12:05 AM
We love Israel, her people and pray daily for her and the peace of Jerusalem.We are looking forward to the New Jerusalem promised to all those who love and obey the will of God our Heavenly Father.
Long live Israel and may God guide PM Netanyahu and his Cabinet in these trying times. The Bible is full of wonderful promises for Israel and He it is that would do battle for His people so fear not Israel, God does not and never lies. Totally put your trust in God and not in man for man will fail but God will Never.
Posted by: Cherie | 09/18/2011 at 06:45 AM