Report: Iran 'bought' Solomon Island vote against Israel

[Violet_Crumble]

Iran is bribing friendly countries to Israel to abandon it and vote against the Jewish state in the UN, a report obtained by the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem reported.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, the report said the Iranian foreign minister met with the foreign minister of the Oceania nation Solomon Islands last year and promised him a check in the amount of $200,000, along with technological aid.

These incentives were meant to come in exchange for an end to the nation's support of Israel.

Shortly after the offer was made the Solomon Islands' foreign minister visited Tehran.

The Solomon Islands is a very poor nation made up of 990 islands inhabited by 600,000 residents.

The Iranian payment seemed to do the trick, since a change in the nation's attitude towards Israel became clear several months ago, when it started to vote against Israel in the United Nations.

The Solomon Islands even voted in favor of adopting the Goldstone Report on Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, which accuses Israel of war crimes.

Yedioth Ahronoth reported that following the vote, Foreign Ministry representative Gili Sharir travelled to the Solomon Islands and expressed to the local government Israel's protest of its ties with Iran.

The Solomon Islands' leadership objected to Israel's protest and claimed it was employing a friendly policy to all.

"We have no enemies, and therefore, we will be friends to all the nations, including both Israel and Iran," a Solomon Islands government official told Israeli diplomats.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3808621,00.html

[izquierdista]

1. Friends to all the nations

An incomprehensible idea to people of the Middle East, who hold grudges for generations.

[azurnoir]

2. Just like our Congress here in the US? n/t

[aranthus]

9. No it isn't and you should know better.

Yes, there's horse trading and vote buying in the US Congress. But that isn't all that's going on. Senators and Representatives are elected; UN ambassadors aren't. Congress people at least nominally represent the people of their home district; UN ambassadors represent only the head of government of their state. Senators and Representatives also at least nominally owe allegiance to the entire United States. A UN ambassador only owes allegiance to the government that hires him, and that government owes the rest of the world absolutely nothing. In the US vote buying is corruption. In the UN, vote buying is not only not corrupt, it's the way international relations has been done for hundreds of years. Admittedly, the UN was designed to invite false comparisons to democratic institutions, but that's no reason to fall for it.

[azurnoir]

14. so its just innocent lobbying when

Israel's "friends" in the US do it but vote buying when Iran does it
Sounds eerily similar to "Black people loot but White people "find" things, no matter how you parse it

[aranthus]

15. That's not what I said and you know it.

The point is that when Iran buys votes in the UN there's not anything actually wrong with that. Lobbying isn't necessarily vote buying, but if there is vote buying going on in Congress, then it's a crime. The difference is that when Iran gets caught buying votes in the UN it isn't subject to punishment. People caught taking bribes or offering them can go to prison if they are caught. The point I am making is that I as an American have the right to demand that there won't be corruption in Congress. Believers in the UN have no good reason to pretend that the process is not inherently corrupt, and therefore meaningless.

[Violet_Crumble]

16. Who said there was nothing wrong with it?

It's just as wrong as when Israel's bought the vote of small Pacific islands, or when the US bought votes back when they were trying to get support for an invasion of Iraq...

Oh, and lobbying is just as much vote-buying as Israel calling it humanitarian aid when it buys the UN votes of Pacific nations...

[aranthus]

19. What obligation does the Solomon Islands have to vote a certain way?

It and every other government at the UN votes its interest and nothing more. So if Iran or some other government makes it in the Solomons' interest to vote a certain way, that's just how the international world works. It's not a moral system. It doesn't have to operate morally.

[Violet_Crumble]

34. Then I'm not sure why some 'supporters' of Israel are up in arms about it...

Me, I'm opposed to the votes of countries being bought, no matter who the buyer is, but that doesn't seem to be the attitude of one or two less moderate 'supporters of Israel' in this thread.

btw, no political system is a moral system, so I'm not sure why yr singling the UN out...

[azurnoir]

18. Same difference take a look at the healthcare "debate"

lobbyists just have choose their wording more carefully

[aranthus]

20. The difference is that the Solomons has the right to sell its vote to the highest bidder.

Congress people don't.

[azurnoir]

22. Congress just has to explain that vote to the people

at least sometimes others most congresscritters can be pretty sure their people don't know or care for the most part, it is just a wee bit more complicated here the sales pitch has to be two pronged

[azurnoir]

33. the end results however are the same

but I do find the "why we're better than them" parsing almost entertaining

[Violet_Crumble]

3. 'Friends to all the nations' = 'We sell our vote to the highest bidder'

The idea of casting a vote that isn't paid for beforehand is an incomprehensible one to the people of Oceania...

[IndianaGreen]

4. and Israel bought our politicians

I don't hear the pro-Israel faction complain about that.

[proteus_lives]

6. How did they exactly buy our politicians?

Is your answer going to be an "All Jooowwwss are rich" rant?

[IndianaGreen]

26. Your despicable side always plays the anti-Semitic card in order to not deal with the issue

How many resolutions has Congress passed in support of Israel, even as Israel was slaughtering civilians in Gaza and Lebanon?

How many Congressional junkets to Sderot while ignoring its history as Najd, a Palestinian village ethnically cleansed by Israel?

[shira]

29. Indiana, you're the perfect example of a "pro" Palestinian

http://www.hudsonny.org/2009/11/what-does-pro-palestinian-really-mean.php

What Does "Pro-Palestinian" Really Mean?

In recent years there has been a significant rise in the number of non-Palestinians who describe themselves as “pro-Palestinian” activists. These people can be found mostly on university campuses in North America and Europe.

What is striking is that many of these “pro-Palestinian” activists have never been to the Middle East, let alone the West Bank or the Gaza Strip. In most cases, they are not even Arabs or Muslims.

What makes them “pro-Palestinian”?

In their view, inciting against Israel on a university campus or publishing “anti-Zionist” material on the Internet is sufficient to earn them the title of “pro-Palestinian.” But what these folks have not realized is that their actions and words often do little to advance the interests of the Palestinians. In some instances, these actions and words are even counterproductive.

It is hard to see how organizing events such as “Israel Apartheid Week” on a university campus could help the cause of the Palestinians. Isn’t there already enough anti-Israel incitement that is being spewed out of Arab and Islamic media outlets?

If anyone is entitled to be called “pro-Palestinian,” it is those who are publicly campaigning against financial corruption and abuse of human rights by Fatah and Hamas. Those who are trying to change the system from within belong to the real “pro-Palestinian” camp.

These are the brave people who are standing up to both Fatah and Hamas and calling on them to stop killing each other and start doing something that would improve the living conditions of their constituents.

Instead of investing money and efforts in organizing Israel Apartheid Week, for example, the self-described “pro-Palestinians” could dispatch a delegation of teachers to Palestinian villages and refugee camps to teach young Palestinians English. Or they could send another delegation to the Gaza Strip to monitor human rights violations by the Hamas authorities and help Palestinian women confront Muslim fundamentalists who are trying to limit their role to cooking, raising children and looking after the needs of their husbands.

Here is an idea: Let’s substitute Israel Apartheid Week with Palestine Democracy Week, where Palestinians would be urged and encouraged to demand an end to financial corruption and bad government.

The “pro-Palestinian” activists in the West clearly do not care about reforms and good government in the Palestinian territories. As far as these activists are concerned, delegitimizing Israel and inciting against “Zionists” are much more important that pushing for an end to financial corruption and violence in Palestinian society.

Telling the world how bad and evil Israel and the Jews are does not help the Palestinians as much as demanding good government and encouraging the emergence of young and “clean” leadership in the Palestinian territories.

If the “pro-Palestinian” camp in the West were investing a similar amount of its anti-Israel efforts in promoting moderation and civil society among Palestinians, it would be doing them a great service.

Shouting anti-Israel slogans or organizing Israel Apartheid Week in the US and Canada does not necessarily make a person “pro-Palestinian.”

But promoting good government and reform in the Palestinian territories does make one “pro-Palestinian.”

Being anti-Israel does not necessarily turn one into “pro-Palestinian.” On the other hand, promoting coexistence, peace and good government would be more beneficial to the Palestinians.

The Palestinians do not need students and professors on university campuses to tell them that Israel is bad. They have already had enough of this incitement from Hamas, Fatah and other Arab media outlets and leaders.

It is time for the “pro-Palestinian” camp in the West to reconsider its policies and tactics. It is time for this camp to listen to the authentic voices of the Palestinians – those that are shouting day and night that the Palestinians want good leaders and an end to lawlessness, anarchy and financial corruption.

[IndianaGreen]

31. Unlike you, I don't wear rose colored glasses when it comes to the side I support

There are several factions in the "pro-Palestinian" side that I wouldn't trust at all. Rather than being "pro-Palestinian", I am for ending this horrible Occupation ASAP, with a return to pre-1967 borders, and relocating your precious Wall to that demarcation line.

I am convinced that if Israel were to leave, the Palestinians would quickly split into two states. I am also convinced that any move on the part of any Israeli government to leave the West Bank will trigger a civil war within Israel.

It is a FUBAR situation in which any solution, including maintaining the status quo (which is really not a static situation), opens its own Pandora's box.

[oberliner]

7. What the hell does this mean?

Israel bought our politicians?

Can you elaborate on this?

[Violet_Crumble]

12. In a thread where Israel's accusing other countries of bribing, it's damn obvious what it means...

Indy thinks that Israel is bribing US politicians....

[Barack_America]

27. I would imagine this is an AIPAC reference.

No?

:shrug:

[Scurrilous]

5. Don't worry Israel...

...Palau, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and the US still have your back. :thumbsup:

[oberliner]

8. Maybe Iran could throw Palau and Micronesia a few hundred grand

Then they can get to work on the Marshall Islands!

[Violet_Crumble]

13. I see. So you think it's okay to accuse anyone but Israel of bribery...

Talk about hypocritical...

[azurnoir]

21. who knows if its that important

perhaps Israel or one of it's lobby's could "outbid" Iran, seems they went pretty cheap, unless of course really it's meaningless and the current situation is worth more as "outrage" of the day

[oberliner]

25. How powerful is the Israel Lobby in The Solomon Islands?

Are they calling the shots over there or what?

[aranthus]

30. Why do you think they call them the "Solomon" Islands?

The preceeding has been a test of the emergency joke telling system.

[azurnoir]

32. I do not understand your comment

seeing as how the claim is that the friendship of the Solomons is for sale to the highest bidder. but on second thought you did answer the question about the "outrage" being worth more than support nicely albeit inadvertently

[oberliner]

37. I thought you were saying that Israel had a lobby in The Solomon Islands

You wrote "Israel or one of its lobby's"

[Violet_Crumble]

36. It's common knowledge that the votes of small Pacific countries are bought off

Israel's been doing it for a hell of a long time now. I'm not at all sure why Oberliner is in denial about it while so eager to accept it when it comes to Iran, but when it comes to tiny and very poor countries, the lure of the dollar for their votes is a strong one. It's funny when you think about it - no-one would give a shit how the Solomons or Micronesia or the Marshall Islands voted about anything if it wasn't that their votes are so easily bought...

[aranthus]

10. So what else is new?

Iran isn't the first country to do this. It's business as usual at the UN.

[Violet_Crumble]

11. It's not new. Israel's been buying their votes for years...

I just found it amusing how when Israel does it, they refer to it as humanitarian aid, yet when Iran does it, it's called a bribe...

[aranthus]

17. I suppose it depends on how obvious the quid pro quo is.

If Israel gives humanitarian aid to gain the general friendship of a country, I suppose that could just be humanitarian aid. If they do it with the understanding that the recipient is going to vote Israel's way, then that would be buying a vote. The article is wrong, by the way, to say that Iran was "bribing" the Solomon Islands, since that presumes that the Solomons has some obligation to vote a particular way or based on a particular set of principles. You can bribe an official who has a legal obligation to do or not do a thing, but governments have no obligations. They can vote at the UN however they want for whatever reason they want, without regard to morality or conscience. So if the Solomons trades its vote for cash, that isn't a bribe. Under all the rules of international relations, what Iran did was not wrong. Every country does this. It's been going on for far longer than the UN has been around. What amazes me is that people know that this goes on all the time, and they still believe that UN resolutions are gospel on international morality. I don't get it.

[shira]

23. Israel bribes countries with humanitarian aid? Ya gotta love it!

It certainly can't be that such a pariah nation like Israel offers humanitarian aid with no strings attached!

:eyes:

It wasn't long ago Israel tried helping out after an earthquake in Iran. Was it the govt or a non-govt affiliated groups? Does it matter? Good thing the folks in Iran figured those clever Israelis out and denied them the chance of appearing like a decent nation. Israel was one of the first countries to respond and therefore able to help with some of the most advanced technology and techniques....it's a good thing the Iranian govt foiled Israel and didn't allow them the chance to save as many Iranians as possible. Those rascally zionists!

Israel also tried helping Gazans during OCL but were denied by Hamas. Of course that was for show too as there's simply no way the Israeli populace would EVER get behind humanitarian missions w/o getting something in return. All they do is for show only.

:eyes:

It would be nice if Israel's neighbors 'pretended' from time to time, like Israel. Who knows how Israel would perceive such actions?

[aranthus]

24. I didn't mean to suggest that Israel doesn't act out of humanitarian impulses.

Sorry if it looked that way.

[shira]

28. sorry - my comment wasn't aimed in response to your replies

[Violet_Crumble]

35. Both Israel and Iran seem to buy other countries votes...

What I find incredibly hypocritical is those people (not you) who complain about Iran doing it, yet make out Israel's more pure than the driven snow and aren't really buying a vote, but helping the people. I'd say both Iran and Israel have the same level of humanitarian interest in that place...

I'm not quite sure where yr coming from with that last comment of yrs. I've read resolutions that I think stink to high heaven, and others that I think are very good. And when it comes to international law, some resolutions go into building international law and even if I don't agree with them, I accept that they hold some weight. Why? Are you saying that nothing the UN has ever come out with holds any weight or is to be taken seriously? If so, that's really ridiculous...