How the world voted:
Yes: 138 No: 9 Abstain: 41
Yesterday, Thursday November 29, 2012, the United Nations General Assembly voted to approve Palestine’s bid to become a non-member observer state. The final vote stood at 138 in favor, 9 against and 41 abstentions.
The United States voted against the measure along with Israel, Canada, Czech Republic, Panama, Palau, Marshall Islands, Nauru, and Micronesia. Each of these is a colony or an ally of the US; some are both. The abstentions follow a similar pattern.
After fighting tooth and nail to block a positive vote, the United States and Israel immediately claimed that it meant nothing. It’s not a real state, they said in one voice. Subtext: In the Security Council, the US will continue to veto the admission of Palestine to full equality in the UN.
The wall still stands, the Israeli occupation continues, so does the siege of Gaza. The US government will continue to fund these crimes. The governments of Canada, Britain, Australia – each of which, like Israel, is built on land and resources stolen from indigenous peoples – and some other regimes in the US corral will continue to justify these crimes. So will the vast majority of the mainstream media.
Even so, this is a new day. 138 countries defied relentless bullying from Israel and the US, to assert the inalienable right of Palestinians to equality, justice and peace.
November 29: Another step on a very long road to freedom for the people of Palestine.
We are still needed. Stay connected. Stay involved.
Michael Riordon 
November 30, 2012 at 11:03 am
Yes Indeed; a day to remember – even if the US will continue to prop up Israel and maintain the Occupation. Good to see that there was some strong support from Europe – albeit without Britain. (As an aside – did you mean to say that Britain is land taken from its original occupants? Did you mean the Celts? or that land ownership iin the UK is a relict of the historical theft of the land by the pwerful few frmo the many?
I understand that one can now acquire a Christmas Crib ( if you are interested in such things) with the Wall running through it – wise men on one side – baby jesus on the other. I will let people know where to get it if I can track down a source.
Alan Wallace
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November 30, 2012 at 11:35 am
Q: “Did you mean to say that Britain is land taken from its original occupants?”
A: Hadn’t thought of it that way. Really meant that Britain built its empire on land and resources stolen from the inhabitants. Including the land of Palestine which it so generously assigned to the Zionists in 1917 for their future state of Israel. I’d say Britain’s UN abstention — like Canada’s no vote — was shameful, but not surprising.
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