Today’s editorial cartoon stems from last week when Palestine went to the United Nations to seek full membership to the United Nations in a bid to seek recognition of the Palestinian state as defined prior to the 1967 borders (which includes East Jerusalem and a security zone Israel has not relinquished to the Palestinian Government in the past). The surprise isn’t that Israel and the United States opposed the plan, the surprise is who publicly did.
The Chinese Foreign minister is in full support of it. Oh and so is Saudi Arabia. Both are known as repressive governments and major human rights violators (see here and here) and yet they continue to join the voice of the United Nations in condemning Israel above all other countries.
With their actual human-rights credentials off the table, Council members adopted a fixed agenda of only a few items to govern their proceedings. One item is devoted to Israel alone and one to all other 191 UN member states. The Human Rights Commission spent 40 years adopting country-specific criticisms, a third of which condemned Israel. Fifty percent of the “reformed” Council’s country-specific resolutions and decisions are devoted to Israel-bashing. There have been 12 special sessions in the last five years, and half of them have been on Israel alone. There has been only one “urgent debate” on a country — Israel. There have been more human rights reports commissioned on Israel than on any other state. And only one country is not allowed even to attend the lobbying and information-sharing regional meetings associated with the Council sessions — Israel — while “Palestine” is invited to all of them. (source)
Interesting that Israel doesn’t make either of the lists. Please don’t interpret that I don’t feel Israel holds some fault in their current situation but let’s also be clear. There is no situation, resolution or otherwise where I see Israel ever giving up East Jerusalem strictly from a security standpoint. So no matter what other concessions are given, there will likely never be full peace in that region but hopefully a situation where neighbors can leave each other alone.
Last week Charles Krauthammer had an excellent opinion piece on this, and to sum it up, the Palenstinians will never sign a peace accord because that means recognizing Israel as a proper state, which of course is something none of those arab countries want to do. If they recognize them as a state, it automatically makes the Palestinians irrelevant because it shows the world what true cowards/bullies actually look like.
I think some of the del losers are the Palestinian refugees who aren’t in Palestine or Israel but have been sold a bill of goods not lowing them to be citizens of those countries
Excellent points, Bearman.
They say you can see those balls from space.
They are big
Great toon, Bearman – neatly captures the hypocrisy of some nations !
Do what I say not what I do
Thats exactly what my wife says to me! ^
The problem is the Palestinian people are held hostage by their own govt. Palestine, as a country, wants to undermine the statehood of Israel, not recognize it [not the people, but those in its govt]. There is no need for a Palestine, in the view of surrounding Arab govts, if it means recognizing the Jewish state.
The people of the Palestinian territory are pawns to a bigger fight, they should just leave those lands and absorb themselves into the surrounding arab world. Thats the solution I’ve often offered because the arab world has no genuine interest in their freedom, all you have to do is look at the govts of the middle east to see that human rights and freedom aren’t on their list of priorities for the most part.
That’s the problem. The “refugees” in Syria and Jordan remain second class folks who can’t obtain citizenship because the Arab countries don’t want them to assimilate as then they wouldn’t have poor folks to show to the world that are that way because of Israel.
To you I say: You’ve hit the nail on the head once again, sir.
To whomever was holding the nail: Sorry, was that your thumb?
It reminds me of America supervising elections in other countries to ensure democracy, then denying Mexico’s offer to send a delegation to Florida to assure impartiality in the Bush-Gore debacle. I don’t think MExico intended to actually send a delegation. I think they offered it to point to the absurdity of the whole thing.
Translated in Chinese is ‘Foo Yong’ (which loosely translated means “bad monkey breath’)
Never been a fan of the egg monkey breath
I support Israel. Period. Anyone that wants to whip out all of Israel I will never support.
Have a terrific day. 🙂
I think the people are more ready for peace than those that represent them
As in most cases, isn’t it the governments, and not the people who are the problem? If we could eliminate governments, we might be able to have peace.
Sadly there doesn’t seem to be a perfect form of government.
Fantastic cartoon. Love your insights -grin-
Thanks Miss R. Your -grin- reminds me of Jynksie…you don’t happen to know him do you. haha (http://www.jynksiecomics.com/)
Great cartoon. He is so up there for Palestine till he is called out on his own actions. With regard to all the wars & conflicts raging in various places, did anyone ever think to just yell out “Stop it!!!”
Could work…
I don’t think my megaphone can be heard that far.
Great toon Bearman. Hmm, if Palestine could only strike oil!!!!!
Oh by the way Bearman, your political toons are the best….more please!
Not as good as the Binky ones, though.
Loon I’ll have to read up on what the Aussies are doing that aren’t Wombats.
Basically nothing!
Binky you don’t do political toons, you are too busy eating chocolate 🙂
But I always think about politics when eating my chocolate.
The politics of the haves and have nots…as it relates to chocolate of course
The only thing we have to fear is…
running out of chocolate!
🙂
Or Chocolate causing the runs
Loon – this would mean you’d have the Americans declaring “weapons of mass distruction” on palestinians hahaha… or “we are here to get the oi…i mean free the people from..um… the axis of evil thats it… yeah..”
Bearman – Love love the cartoon makes me wanna start blogging again so i could repost… by the way…i dont think you should travel to any country where China is calling the shots you might “disappear”.
hmmm…one route to get to Australia is through Hong Kong…You think I should reconsider.
And yes…would you freaking start blogging again.
It’s a case of possession/oppression. Great drawing, Bearman!
Thanks Mark
This comic is totally TV news worthy. I won’t get into a rant since the last two things friends talk about is religion and politics =)
All my friends talk about religion and politics here though.
It’s funny because it is true!
Love how you manege to capture real life scenarios and make them funny. Humor is one of the strongest weapons.
Thanks. I try to make people think without smacking them over the head with my views.
Hmm, the title promised balls.
Well it takes balls to say what they said
I like the cartoon.
Everyone who wants something they used to have, but don’t have now; either has the muscle to get it or doesn’t. … but they are thinking about it.
I think Mexico used to be bigger.
I’m watching out for Italy making demands and the Ottoman Empire! hee hee!
I think more people had couches during the Ottoman Empire.
Everyone sure does want that piece of property. It must have natural lithium in the water supply or something.
75 years ago, it was pretty much just a desert.
I heard you were discussing balls today, so I ran right over.
Spot-on, Bearman!
Now you sound like one of your kids.
It would be nice if they could just leave each other alone. It is so emotional and complex a situation. The situation in Tibet not nearly as complex nor and the main push is coming from the Chinese government not the people from what I know about it at least. Great cartoon. You capture the ironic nature of this.
Thanks Frank. I put the iron in irony. Or maybe it is just the ron
such a serious topic made and explained in 3 sentences 😀
also i wanna be a rambo monk!
Ok..you are a Rambo Monk…(Ding). How do you spell out the sound of someone granting a whish…ding didn’t cut it.
i think it sounds more like a boom and a swish, than again i never had a wish granted before
That expresses my own personal views exactly: I’ll tell you what you need to do, but don’t go pointing any fingers back at me. 😀
Sorry I’ve been bad about showing up everywhere this week. I’ve been over-the-weather. Or under, depending on how you wanna look at it.
Well I am over the rainbow that you finally got here. Or is it under the sea?
This is why I ignore the news a lot today.
That’s why you have me
“Free Tibet!” “Fuck You!” Hahahahahaha simple, great, funny dialogue hahaha still laughing.
Still?
Outrageous. Funny stuff!
Nice information.I thanks to you for this great blog.