OPINION: New Zealand’s role in co-sponsoring United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2334 isn’t anything to cheer about for those who care more about peace than symbolism. In fact, it damages prospects for peace.In fact, we have already seen in recent days the backlash that has occurred in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in the form of reciprocal, unilateral moves regarding how Israeli law treats unauthorised outposts built on private Palestinian land in the West Bank.
Israel’s High Court is expected to strike down this unhelpful law – but the popular anger that motivated the vote has the hallmarks of a symbolic protest as a response, in no small part, to UN Resolution 2334. Many Israelis viewed the resolution itself as a unilateral diplomatic move on behalf of Palestinian interests, as well as a total disregard for the statistically verifiable restraint Israel placed on settlement activity during the Obama years – contrary to the media narrative promoted by politicised NGOs.
Now, we have seen a few New Zealand-based activist academics calling on Wellington to compound one mistake with a far greater one and impose sanctions on Israel. They insist that their demand would only mean translating the spirit of the resolution into action – thus proving hollow Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully’s claim that his resolution wasn’t one-sidedly anti-Israel.
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