On Friday, an Arab-led measure for Israel to come clean on its nuclear weapons was defeated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The proposed resolution called for Israel to join the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and place its installations under international supervision.
According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, "The resolution was opposed by 51 countries, including the United States, the 28 countries of the European Union, as well as Norway, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan and South Korea." In other words, the West and some of its key East Asian allies. As reported in the Washington Post, the result was the product of "strong U.S.-led lobbying."
This rejectionism is basically reflexive when it comes to the US-Israeli dynamic and is therefore unsurprising. However, this event does highlight an interesting point. As consumers of news, we are constantly reminded that Israel "lives in a rough neighborhood." Yet, the rough neighborhood has made multiple efforts to bring the region into a more civilized, law-abiding state of affairs - and has done so through the appropriate international channels. Furthermore, the Arab states have (repeatedly) offered Tel Aviv normalized relations with the Arab Middle East if Israel withdraws from the Palestinian territories. Needless to say, Israel and the United States aren't interested in this either.
For all its supposed roughness, the Arab Middle East can be rather reasonable. And for those who might interpret these offers and proposals as being mere deceptions: what better way to show the world what the rough neighborhood is really all about than by calling its bluff?
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/09/201392164847337937.html
