In human rights arena, a clear double standard
By Gilbert N. Kahn
July 10, 2008
New Jersey Jewish News
Original Source: – HYPERLINK https://mail.hudsonny.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.njjewishnews.com/njjn.com/071008/opedHumanRightsArena.html \t _blank http://www.njjewishnews.com/njjn.com/071008/opedHumanRightsArena.html
We continue to live in a bizarre world. It seems that frequently the only thing that the nations of the world can all agree on is when and whether to hold Israel accountable for its mistakes and failures. 
Other nations which commit human rights violations or whose affairs of state are somewhat less than democratic usually only face continued deliberations, posturing, and hand-wringing. The level of castigation aimed at Israel by some of the most corrupt and ruthless regimes as well as from some of Israel’s “friends” is legendary. The last several weeks and months have shown continued examples of such double standards. 
One of the world’s most despicable, authoritarian rulers, Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, professed to run free elections in March, the results of which — he lost — he refused to announce for more than 30 days. Then, on June 28, after a period of intimidation, arrests of opposition supporters, at least 80 murders, and the dispersion of 200,000 people, Mugabe conducted a runoff election, the results of which he interpreted, and then proclaimed himself the victor. 
Having “won” the runoff, Mugabe was sworn in on June 29, and went off the next day to the meeting of the African Union in Egypt, where he was greeted and hugged by many — though not all — of the assembled African leaders. Meanwhile, Mugabe’s chief opponent, Morgan Tsvangirai, who had received at least 4 percent more votes than Mugabe in the first round, and more than 50 percent of the total according to some reports, spent the runoff election in sanctuary in the Dutch Embassy in Harare. 
In response to this abuse of power and flaunting of democratic principles, President Bush ordered restrictions on travel to and from Zimbabwe and several Western countries began to follow suit. The United States asked the United Nations to convene the Security Council to consider the imposition of sanctions against Zimbabwe. As of now, there has been no Security Council meeting on the situation in Zimbabwe and Mugabe’s reign continues virtually unabated and unthreatened. 
Similarly, the continued agony faced by the people in the Darfur region of Sudan has become commonplace news. Despite repeated resolutions and public outcries, peacekeepers are still not in place and the genocide continues. African nations refuse to seriously address and hold accountable one of their own. China is unwilling to proceed with genuine sanctions given its cozy economic relationship with the Sudanese government and continued reliance on Sudanese oil. The West is too timid to hold Beijing accountable for its failings out of their ever-increasing economic dependency on China. So the killing, the hunger, and the suffering continue. 
Meanwhile, China prepares to host the Olympics next month in an atmosphere that is not only environmentally unhealthy but also politically ruthless. As political leaders from throughout the world descend on Beijing for the opening ceremonies, millions of Chinese citizens are being exploited to enhance the growth of an economy on which the developed world has become overwhelmingly dependent. Once more the world blinks at human rights abuses, global pollution, and amoral leadership.
In the same way, there is the continuing failure of the world to address the growing Iranian nuclear threat. It remains astonishing that after almost four years, there continue to be interminable negotiations about sanctions against Iran. All of this talking with minimal action only permits Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to appear ever more impressive before his own people and more formidable before his Muslim neighbors. The West panders and contemplates “perhaps” imposing real sanctions, and the Saudis invite Ahmadinejad to Riyadh. 
Meanwhile, Israel’s enemies are constantly ready to condemn Israel in international forums with demands for sanctions, and the West has become both passive and compliant. Perhaps the ultimate insult for Israel comes now as it engages in prisoner exchanges with its enemy. In the transfer of what is likely to be the remains of Israeli soldiers, it will return not only the remains of terrorists but also prisoners who have the blood of dead Israelis on their hands. For this gesture, Israel “might” obtain some information about an Israeli pilot, Ron Arad, captured 22 years ago, information that the International Red Cross could not obtain and about which the world did not deem it necessary to make a fuss.
International politics is governed not by morality but by self-interest, certainly according to the old school of realpolitik. It would be nice sometimes, nevertheless, to see the world offer some measure of similitude in how it judges the behavior of nations. 
Clearly, Israel, like the United States, is far from perfect. Democracies never are. Yet there is something so perverse and so contemptible about the persistent double standards to which the government and the people of Israel are held, while corrupt, ruthless, authoritarian regimes laugh. Unfortunately, it is not getting any better.