China, Israel-Palestine, Russia, US Empire November 8, 2019
US and Israel were lone votes against UN resolutions opposing space arms race,
nuclear Middle East, Cuba embargo
The United States and Israel were the only countries that voted against UN
General Assembly draft resolutions calling for a nuclear weapons-free Middle
East, measures to stop an arms race in outer space, and an end to the blockade
of Cuba.
By Ben Norton
Important breakthroughs have arrived at the United Nations seeking to prevent
an arms race in outer space and create a nuclear weapons-free Middle East.
There are just two main obstacles: the United States and Israel.
While Washington and corporate media outlets portray China and Russia as
aggressive warmongering rogue states, their votes at the UN show which nations
are actually expanding dangerous militarism into new frontiers.
China and Russia joined dozens of other countries in sponsoring resolutions at
the UN General Assembly (UNGA) that sought to prevent armed conflict in space.
Most of the international community supported these historic peace measures.
The only consistent outliers were the US and Israel.
Beijing and Moscow have been leading global efforts to stop the use of weapons
in space. Meanwhile, Washington has unilaterally blocked the international
consensus on preventing the deadly space race.
Moreover, as nearly all UN member states have united in calling for a Middle
East free of nuclear weapons, the US and Israel have singlehandedly undermined
their peace efforts.
This roguish behavior predates the election of President Donald Trump.
At the UNGA on November 7, almost every country in the world also voted to end
the US embargo against Cuba. This was the 28th year in row that the
international community united in calling for the American noose to be taken
off the neck of the Cuban people.
While 187 member states supported the resolution demanding an end to the
blockade, the US, Israel, and Brazil’s far-right government were the lone
nations to oppose it. American allies Colombia and Ukraine abstained.
Washington’s UN votes show who truly is a rogue state.
UN vote US blockade Cuba 2019
Entire world wants nuclear weapons-free Middle East — except for USA and Israel
The UNGA’s First Committee, which oversees disarmament and international
security, voted on November 1 to overwhelmingly approve a draft resolution
entitled “Establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region of the
Middle East.”
A staggering 172 countries voted in support of this resolution. Only two
nations voted against it: the US and Israel. Just two more countries abstained:
the United Kingdom and Cameroon.
UN nuclear weapons free zone Middle East vote 2019
At the same meeting, the First Committee approved a draft resolution on “The
risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East,” which called for the region
to abide by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
Given Israel is the only country in the Middle East with nuclear weapons, the
UNGA resolution called on Tel Aviv to join the NPT (Israel has long refused to
sign the treaty), and demanded that Israeli nuclear facilities be overseen by
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.
The draft resolution was also overwhelmingly approved, with 151 votes in
support and a mere six votes against — from the US, Israel, and Canada, along
with the tiny island nations of Palau, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands,
which function as vassals of Washington at the UN.
UN nuclear proliferation Middle East vote 2019
American and Israeli votes against resolutions to prevent an arms race in outer
space
On November 5, the UNGA’s First Committee approved four resolutions “aimed at
averting the militarization of outer space.”
Once again, the United States and Israel stood alone against the entire
international community.
One draft resolution was titled “Prevention of an arms race in outer space.”
The measure was jointly introduced by 20 nations in the Global South, including
China, Cuba, Bolivia, Algeria, Congo, and Syria.
All present UN member states, 175 nations, voted in support of this resolution.
The only two that opposed it were, yet again, Washington and Tel Aviv.
UN prevention arms race outer space vote 2019
The committee voted on another draft resolution advancing “further practical
measures for the prevention of an arms race in outer space.” This was jointly
introduced by 23 countries, including China, Russia, Venezuela, Cuba,
Nicaragua, Bolivia, Iran, Algeria, Armenia, South Africa, and Syria.
The resolution passed with 124 vote in favor, with 41 votes against and 10
abstentions.
Another draft resolution titled “No first placement of weapons in outer space”
was introduced by 17 countries, including China, Russia, Cuba, Bolivia,
Vietnam, North Korea, Algeria, and Syria.
This passed with 123 votes in support, 14 votes in opposition, and 40
abstentions.
Finally, the fourth draft resolution opposed to the militarization of space,
titled “Transparency and confidence‑building measures in outer space
activities,” was jointly introduced by five countries: China, Russia, Cuba,
Suriname, and Syria.
The vast majority of member states supported the resolution, with 166 votes in
favor. Once more, the US and Israel were the only nations to vote against it.
Another five US allies abstained: the UK, Australia, Ukraine, Georgia, and
Palau.
UN transparency outer space vote 2019
While the United States actively tried to sabotage international attempts at
arms control and demilitarization of space, Washington’s favorite bogeymen
pushed for diplomacy and peace.
Beijing emphasized in a previous meeting of the First Committee on October 31
that China and Russia had jointly proposed a “treaty on the prevention of the
placement of weapons in outer space, the threat or use of force against outer
space objects.”
Moscow’s representative said at the meeting “that Western countries are
actively promoting the concept of competition in space — while simultaneously
suggesting that competition will lead to a crisis in which violence will be
required.”
In the November 5 meeting, Russia’s representative argued that the “United
States is trying to impose its rules and the idea of domination from outer
space and could target objects under the excuse of combatting debris.”
Cuba pointed out that it was just one country — the US — that blocked a
consensus in the UN Group of Governmental Exerts on “further effective measures
for the prevention of an arms race in outer space.” Washington strongly opposed
attempts to create a legally binding treaty that would prohibit the deployment
of weapons in space.
Venezuela’s UN representative said “she regretted to highlight the destructive
actions of certain countries that cause division and undermine progress while
unilaterally proclaiming war‑like intentions in outer space.”
Syria’s call for a Middle East free of nuclear weapons
While the United States government and corporate media outlets portray Syria as
a bloodthirsty rogue regime, Damascus helped lead calls for a
nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Middle East, while Washington and Tel Aviv
stood alone.
On November 4, the UN General Assembly’s First Committee deliberated nuclear
and chemicals weapons.
At the meeting, Syria voted for the draft resolution supporting the
“establishment of a nuclear‑weapon‑free zone in the region of the Middle East.”
Damascus’ representative emphasized that “Syria was among the first to call for
a Middle East free of atomic bombs.”
“Israel will never accede to the Non‑Proliferation Treaty as long as the United
States and others protect its related weapons programs,” the Syrian diplomat
added.
While the US and Israel have accused Syria of using chemical weapons, Damascus
shot back saying, “Israel possesses chemical weapons, has used biological and
radiological arms against Palestine and Syria, and has facilitated related
shipments to terrorists.”
“The use of weapons of mass destruction is reprehensible and immoral,” the
Syrian representative added, reiterating his call for a region free of such
weapons.
The Syrian diplomat added, “the Israeli regime supports terrorist organizations
by supplying them with toxic chemical weapons. Meanwhile, Turkey has allowed
terrorists onto its territory to be trained in the use of chemical weapons, and
that the representative of the United States tried to evade his country’s
responsibility in training terrorists in the use of chemical weapons.”
The UN is holding a meeting called the “Conference on the Establishment of a
Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction”
in its headquarters in New York from November 18 to 22.
This conference had been proposed in October 2018 by the entire Arab League,
which includes Algeria, Bahrain, the Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan,
Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
Somalia, the Sudan, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and the State of
Palestine.
A majority of UN member states, 103, voted in favor of the conference,
including China, Russia, and most of the Global South; while 71 countries
abstained, including most Western countries.
Once again, just three countries voted against the anti-nuclear weapons
conference: the US, Israel, and Micronesia.
Ben Norton
Ben Norton is a journalist, writer, and filmmaker. He is the assistant editor
of The Grayzone, and the producer of the Moderate Rebels podcast, which he
co-hosts with editor Max Blumenthal. His website is BenNorton.com and he tweets
at @BenjaminNorton.
https://bennorton.com