Bolton blasts UN's 'map without Israel'

[Behind the Aegis]

US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton sent a letter to Sec.-Gen. Kofi Annan complaining that a map that omitted Israel was hung at an annual UN meeting.

In the letter, written on January 3, and revealed on The New York Sun on Friday, Bolton wrote: "It was entirely inappropriate for this map to be used. It can be misconstrued to suggest that the United Nations tacitly supports the abolition of the state of Israel."

"Given that we now have a world leader pursuing nuclear weapons who is calling for the state of Israel to be 'wiped off the map,' the issue has even greater salience," he stressed.

The convention, which was attended by Annan, was conducted on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, held on November 29 - the anniversary of the 1947 date when the UN ended the British mandate over Israel, a move which effectively led to the establishment of the Jewish State six months later.

more...

[applegrove]

1. That is odd. And not just a little scary. Once again - wahhabi excess

oil profits at work no doubt.

[wordpix2]

15. connected to Big Oil or no, very inappropriate for Annan to hold this

"ceremony" to honor Palestinian terrorists. Americans shold look on that akin to Annan holding a ceremony at the UN to honor OBL.

I have now lost nearly all my respect for Mr. Annan. I know he has a tightrope to walk but this is really sending a bad message to the world.

[FlemingsGhost]

17. Yes. All the Palestinian people are "terrorists."

LOL ... Whatever.

:eyes:

[applegrove]

19. I think excess oil profits have been building up religious extremists

in quite a few places over the last 40 years. Including Texas.

[FlemingsGhost]

2. Where's the outrage? Israel needs to quit the UN!

Fuckin' anti-Semites.

:eyes:

[The Backlash Cometh]

11. I'm having trouble believing anything that comes out of Bolton's mouth.

[FlemingsGhost]

12. I'm having trouble giving the default benefit of the doubt, anymore.

Thus, the sarcasm.

[Dhalgren]

25. And once again, a US "diplomat is going to bat for Israel. Last

week it was Condi jumping on Norway for their finance minister saying she supported a boycott of Israeli goods, this week it's Revoltin' Bolton carrying Israeli water at the UN. Where is Israel's statement in this? Who do these "US" bozos work for?

[IndianaGreen]

26. Don't blame Israel for the crass manipulations of the Bush people!

They are experts at exploiting wedge issues and pushing people's buttons!

Look here, anti-Semitism!

Look there, homosexual agenda!

Look behind you, lesbian recruiters!

Look ahead, abortion is murder!

[Dhalgren]

27. I agree. And wouldn't it seem, in both instances, that if Israel

were very concerned they could and would manage their own diplomacy? I think so...

[ixion]

3. boy, I'll bet their sick of that creep already

I know I am. :eyes:

[mike_c]

4. israel should immediately quit the U.N. in protest....

Why is this in LBN?

[Orangepeel]

5. majorly inappropriate, if true

I have vague memories of hearing this story before and it turned out to be a big flap over an antique map.

I wouldn't put it past someone in the UN to think it would be a nice touch to hang the map at a Palestinian celebration, but I also wouldn't put it past Bolton to make a huge deal about a decoration that had been there forever.

[seriousstan]

8. I found this dated Dec. 9

http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=94461

[Orangepeel]

13. okay, that looks like an intentional insult (eom)

[daleo]

14. Well, I don't see any political borders on that map at all

It looks more like a purely geographic map to me, but it would be nice to see a closer view. It also appears to be quite antique - I wonder if it was used in the original U.N. partition decision or something like that? The inset map in the top right hand corner seems to show an outline that resembles a map of Israel, though.

Many of the comments on the site are pretty extreme.

[Sinewave58]

20. Map

The map is certainly antique. The borders of Palestine shown predate the 20th century I think. The map is Arabic, which in any case would not identify Israel.

It's still curious why the UN would hold such an event, given it's recognition of Israel. Be that as it may, if it's going to hold such an event and wants, for whatever reason, to shown a bordered Palestine, then an antique map would certainly be appropriate since our European compatriots choppe-up Palestine long ago.

SW58

[Greeby]

6. Whos he gonna chase with a stapler over this one?

:eyes: Only another year to go for Yosemite John

[wordpix2]

16. LOL. Why "Yosemite John?"

[HuffleClaw]

7. oh puke.

but seriously, he's done more personally to damage the US reputation around the world than anyone except bush. what a clown.

[Rex]

9. Bolton - assclown of goodwill

nt

[dusmcj]

10. this is as tiresome

as the Pal earth mother bag at one of the DC peace rallies calling for the "dismantling of the state of Israel" (earth mother bag because aggressive but with little content visible to back the mouth). These assholes are going to get themselves mass immolation, whether all included are interested in chasing the houris across heaven or not.

[IndianaGreen]

18. Cheap grandstanding by the Nazi Bolton

I rather have a map of the UN in which there is no Bolton, and he won't be there in 2007 when his recess appointment expires. Too bad that he is not expiring himself!

[InternalDialogue]

21. Someone at the UN

has been watching "West Wing" reruns.

Didn't a storyline two season ago involve a staffer hanging a historic map of the region that predated Israel?

[IndianaGreen]

22. So Bolton is using a 2-year old episode of West Wing to ingratiate himself

to Israel's supporters in the US in order to garner support when he is renominated by Bush in 2007.

Are they that manipulative? Yes!

[FlemingsGhost]

23. Give that gal a cee-gaaaaaar!

It'll probably work, too. That well seems to be bottomless.

[daleo]

24. The story doesn't seem to be on many news sites yet

Especially the more mainstream media outlets. It is hard to believe that he would just make up a whopper, based on at TV show, but stranger things have happened where Bushco and the U.N. are concerned. Powell's curveball inspired pack of lies comes to mind.

On edit: There are some photos of the event on the U.N. website, but only one shows a hint of some map in the background. You can't make out anything, though.

The more I look at it, the more it looks like the same map as in the Arutz Sheva link.

http://www.un.org/Depts/dpa/ngo/calendar.htm

[Lisa]

32. ... reruns .... or got Season 3 on DVD for Christmas?

H. Con (episode 11) is the one featuring the circa 1790 map of Palestine.

http://www.westwingepguide.com/S3/Episodes/55_HCON172.html

http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/story.cgi?show=4&story=2679&page=4&sort=&limit=all

[gulfcoastliberal]

28. Bolton may be a scumabg, but even a broken clock is right twice a day

This is a disgusting action by the UN. Anti-Semitism has a long, ugly history and is not going away. It saddens me that so many on the left buy into the hate.

[IndianaGreen]

31. You are being manipulated by the rightwing, again!

They pushed one of your buttons and you are reacting like the robot they expect you to be. The real agenda here is that Bolton is trying to bully the UN to become a tool of neocon policies. Bush wants the color of a UN Resolution to justify future aggression against Iran, Syria, Venezuela. I will also point out that the GOP has wanted the UN dead going back to the San Francisco conference when John Foster Dulles was the highest rank Republican in the US delegation.

I won't play their game!

I will follow Mao's dictum of opposing whatever the enemy proposes, and supporting whatever the enemy opposes.

Down with the Bush dictatorship!

[slor]

29. Quick! Someone show him a map of...

Pangaea. Maybe his head will explode.

[DoYouEverWonder]

30. Well the map does look old and nasty

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?blobcol=urlimage&blobheader=image%2Fjpeg&blobkey=id&blobtable=JPImage&blobwhere=1134309577407&cachecontrol=never&ssbinary=true

But it looks like an old topography map and not one meant to designate country boundaries. Plus since the map appears to be old it could have been made before Israel was created.

One again, much ado about nothing.