Watson Coleman: “today I am proud to submit, along with my good friend and colleague Senator Corzine, a bipartisan resolution dealing…”

“today I am proud to submit, along with my good friend and colleague Senator Corzine, a bipartisan resolution dealing with the unfair treatment of Israel at the United Nations. For too long, Israel has been singled out for castigation by the United Nations General Assembly. Israeli defensive actions are condemned, while terrorism against Israeli civilians goes largely unnoticed. There are whole bodies designed to do nothing but produce anti-Israel materials. There is a Division of Palestinian Rights which sits at the same level in the U.N. organization as a single division for the Americas and Europe, a single division for Asia and the Pacific, and two Africa divisions. Of all the resolutions adopted by rollcall vote at the last session of the UN General Assembly, one-third singled out Israel. Let me be clear on this point: I do think it is appropriate to help the Palestinian people, and I do share President Bush's vision of two states living side by side in peace. But for the United Nations to spend so much of its time on this one crisis, with an unbalanced approach, ultimately undermines its ability to contribute constructively to the peace process. To accord the Palestinian people--however serious their problems are the same level of attention as entire continents is inappropriate in a world where there are so many other oppressed groups and nations. Why is there no Division of Tibetan Rights? Why no Division of Chechen Rights?”