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truth
4/24/2002 (13:44) |
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Terje Larsen, the UN Special Envoy to the Middle East, has apparently decided to add a new line to his resume. Touring the Jenin refugee camp last week after Israel withdrew its forces from the area, the former Norwegian politician summarily granted himself a unique, and far loftier, title: the self-appointed arbiter of all that is good and moral in the world.
Feigning righteous indignation as only a European diplomat knows how, Larsen pronounced his verdict on the Jewish state without hesitation: 'Israel has lost all moral ground in this conflict', he said, as if defending Jewish lives against Palestinian terror was somehow an act of depravity on Israel's part.
The apparent cause of Larsen's fury was the fact that those pesky Israelis decided to act against the hundreds of armed Palestinian terrorists who were roaming about freely in Jenin while plotting the murder of innocent Jews. That 28 of the Palestinian suicide bombings carried out in the past 18 months originated in Jenin did not appear to move Larsen one iota. Israel, he seems to feel, simply has no right to defend itself.
Given that he receives his monthly paycheck from the UN, it is hardly surprising that Larsen applies a twisted moral calculus when it comes to the Jewish state. After all, the UN is not exactly known for maintaining even-handedness in the Israeli-Arab dispute.
Indeed, just two weeks ago, the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva endorsed a 1982 UN resolution affirming the legitimacy of using 'all available means, including armed struggle' against Israel's 'occupation.' In other words, the UN's guardians of morality apparently view the Palestinian use of terror as equivalent to the exercise of a basic, fundamental human freedom, right up there alongside free speech. And they call us immoral?
As a former Norwegian cabinet minister, Larsen should also be aware that neither he nor his country are in any position to preach to Israel about ethical behavior. Just six decades ago, the Norwegian government, headed by Nazi collaborator Vidkun Quisling, passed anti-Jewish legislation and confiscated Jewish property. Though the Norwegian resistance succeeded in saving many Jews, the Norwegian authorities played an active part in their deportation and death. Norway's police rounded up hundreds of Jews, turning them over directly to the Nazis, who murdered nearly all of them in concentration camps.
On December 10, 1942, the head of the Norwegian State Police, Karl Martinsen, went so far as to circulate a memo to all of Norway's district police chiefs in which he ordered them to ensure that no Jews remained within their jurisdiction. The order was carried out, and shortly thereafter, another batch of Jews was sent to the gas chambers.
After the war, Norwegian police involved in the round-ups of Jews were not prosecuted for their actions, and it was only in 1996, under the glare of international pressure, that Norway finally agreed to establish a commission to examine the restitution of Jewish property seized during the Holocaust.
Thus, before Larsen - whose wife serves as Norway's ambassador to Israel - decides to lecture others about morality, he might do well to consider his own country's record.
Needless to say, Larsen's latest outburst is hardly the first time he has made controversial remarks. Just a month ago, at a March 13 press conference in Jerusalem, Larsen appeared to equate Palestinian suicide bombings with Israel's 'occupation' when he said, 'We stand foursquare against the suicide bombings… and foursquare for Palestinian rights and against occupation'.
In September 2001, Larsen accused Israel of 'devastating' the Palestinian economy and lambasted it for imposing 'draconian' security measures. He even berated Israel for imposing a closure on Palestinian cities to prevent terrorist attacks, saying that such a policy 'makes innocent people suffer.'
As one of the key people behind the launch of the Oslo process, Larsen has long considered Yasser Arafat to be a close personal friend. 'Arafat and I talk about everything, not just politics and economics. We discuss life, food and love', he mused to the Jerusalem Post in March 1995. Isn't that sweet.
Given Larsen's record, the government is to be congratulated for declining to accept him as part of a UN fact-finding mission. His refusal to acknowledge the extraordinary measures Israel took to minimize civilian casualties in Jenin, and his failure to lay the blame at the feet of the Palestinians for using civilians as human shields, betray his bias against the Jewish state.
Larsen's behavior last week in Jenin was nothing less than an act of 'Larseny', robbing the truth of its meaning and distorting what occurred. He has blackened Israel's image and effectively joined the Palestinian propaganda team.
Whether the UN views such a person as worthy of representing it in the region is something for Secretary-General Kofi Annan to decide. But he shouldn't be surprised if most Israelis turn away and refuse to work with him. After all, we know an adversary when we see one.
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