Um Shmum

n response to the Israeli navy's interception of the arms-laden Francop cargo ship last Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has called on the United Nations to investigate the incident rather than waste its time on accusations against Israel for war crimes. Netanyahu's statements were part of a massive public relations campaign which began Tuesday night after the Francop was found to be filled with 320 of weapons including mortar shells, rockets, Katyushas and assorted other weaponry hailing from Iran. The weapons were meant to be delivered to the Hizbullah via Syria.

Netanyahu's comments to the UN are meant as a counterpoint to the eagerness of the General Assembly who has chosen at this time to debate the Goldstone Report, which accuses Israel of war crimes against the Arab residents of Gaza during Operation Cast Lead. Meanwhile, Iran arms Hizbullah to kill Israeli civilians and the UN pays no attention. The beleaguered Israeli prime minister hoped to get across the idea that the only objective of the Iranian weapons shipment was to "attack and kill as many civilians—women, children, and the elderly—as possible. This is a war crime."

Netanyahu's statement admonishes that, "The UN General Assembly, which is meeting today, should investigate, discuss and condemn [the Iranian arms shipment]. This is a war crime that should prompt the UN Security Council to convene in special session, especially since it was in gross violation of UN Security Council resolutions."

The prime minister counsels, "This is what the international community should concentrate on at all times - but especially today. But instead, they have chosen to assemble and condemn the IDF and the State of Israel, and to try and undermine our legitimate right to defend ourselves."
Netanyahu went on to praise the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) as an army with morals of high caliber, commenting, "We know that it is the IDF and the security services of the State of Israel that stand against the war criminals who plan to perpetrate war crimes against Israeli citizens.

Netanyahu ended his statements with a dare to the UN to uphold the truth, "I think that the time has come for the international community, at least its more responsible countries, to recognize the truth and not promote a lie."

Of course, the Francop seizure received very little international attention, in spite of the Israeli PR campaign. The New York Times ran only a brief item, two days after the fact, while The Washington Post wrote up the story as a sidebar to an article that treats the mistakes of the Obama administration regarding the peace process.

Me? I'm angry. I say, "Um Shmum!" which is what Ben Gurion responded when he was told the UN would guarantee Israel's security after the 1956 Sinai Campaign. "Um" is the way Israelis pronounce the Hebrew acronym that represents the UN and "shmum," is a dismissive, Yiddish-inflected retort. After all, when has the UN ever guaranteed Israel's security?

The only thing the UN ever seems to do is make resolutions renouncing the only democratic country in the region while giving carte blanche to her terror-wielding neighbors, who continue to profess their desire to wipe tiny Israel off the map. But don't take my word for it, count 'em up yourself: between March 1948 and January 2009, the UN has passed a whopping 221 resolutions against Israel.

How many similar resolutions have been passed against Iran, Iraq, and North Korea? Why is Israel singled out? Well, duh, as my kids would say: it's blatant anti-Semitism.

I decided to take a look at what statistics I might find regarding UN resolutions against other nations. According to UN Watch, in 2008 alone, Israel had its hands smacked more times than any other country. There were 28 UN actions against Israel in 2008, while Afghanistan was reprimanded three times, and Iran only once.

Why do we put up with this crap? Wake up and smell the coffee.
Isn't it time for Israel to leave the UN?