The flurry of international reactions to the killing of Osama bin Laden by the American army provides Israel with a great opportunity to demonstrate the double standards applied against it by so many in the Western world and elsewhere. All one has to do is compare the reactions of major institutions and leaders with those after the death of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. This leader of the Hamas terrorist organization was killed by Israel in 2004. He was directly responsible for many lethal attacks on Israeli civilians including suicide bombings.
On Monday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told reporters that “the death of Osama bin Laden, announced by President (Barack) Obama last night, is a watershed moment in our common global fight against terrorism.” Yet after the killing of Sheikh Yassin, then-UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said “I do condemn the targeted assassination of Sheikh Yassin and the others who died with him. Such actions are not only contrary to international law, but they do not do anything to help the search for a peaceful solution.”
The now-defunct UN Commission on Human Rights condemned “the tragic death of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in contravention of the Hague Convention IV of 1907.” At the Security Council, the US had to use its veto power to prevent condemnation of Israel.
After the bin Laden killing, the leaders of the European Council and European Commission stated that his death made the world a safer place and showed that terrorist attacks do not remain unpunished. Following the Yassin killing, then-EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana said, “This type of action does not contribute at all to create the conditions of peace. This is very, very bad news for the peace process. The policy of the European Union has been consistently condemnation of extra-judicial killing.”
British Prime Minister David Cameron congratulated President Obama on the success of the bin Laden assassination. Cameron considered it a massive step forward in the fight against extremist terrorism. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair also welcomed bin Laden’s demise.
However, the killing of Sheikh Yassin was called by the then-British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw “unacceptable” and “unjustified.” The official spokesman of then-Prime Minister Blair condemned the “unlawful attack“ and observed: “We have repeatedly made clear our opposition to Israel’s use of targeted killings and assassinations.”
France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed Bin Laden’s killing as a coup in the fight against terrorism. He called President Obama, praised his determination and courage and all others who had pursued the head of al-Qaeda for 10 years. Sarkozy added that the two heads of state had agreed to continue the just and necessary fight against terrorist barbarity and those who support it.
Yet after Sheikh Yassin’s death, a French Foreign Ministry spokesman, Herve Ladsous, said, “France condemns the action taken against Sheikh Yassin, just as it has always condemned the principle of any extra-judicial execution as contrary to international law.” Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin declared that “such acts can only feed the spiral of violence.”
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5 Responses
Excellent op-ed – how can this double standard be made public by Israel to the world?
maskim 100% can somone ( maybe Isreal) bring this up to these anti semites
On second thought, it is worse than a double standard. Israel faces terrorism every day. The USA has had one terrorist attack (albeit a terrible one with 3000+ victims) in the last 10 years. Yet for Israel who is surrounded by terrorists, it is condemnable to take aggressive measures to protect themselves, while the USA can afford to spend billions of dollars to catch 1 terorist thousands of miles away and gets congratulated all around.
the terrorists of Ertz Yisrael ימ”ש Ym”sh, even they are horibly not right, they fight for land that they claim back.
yet, Bin Ladin fights for NO GIVEN REASON, and kills people anywhere in the world, no matter who they are.
Yet again: “both are wrong!” but still “I can see the difference of how the world looks on it”.
Just as wee look when the Russian minority when they kill Russians, and afterwards when Russia Assassinates them, we wouldn’t equivalent it with the assession of Bin Lodin.
one more note,
You don’t have to go back to 2004 killing of Yassin,
you can instead use the killing of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, last year in Dubai as an example.