I UNITED NATIONS
Last month, Dr. Hugo Scotland, the distinguished
black and widdy read UN correspondent from Lion, -urged
that I attend a press briefing at the United Na
tions Correspondents Association dub (UNCA). He
vud l would be in for a surprise and I was!
Although press conferences held in the UNCA Club"
are posted on the bulletin board, they do portend selec
tivity in that the sponsoring journalist urges his special
colleagues to attend whom he feels will be sympathetic
to the cause at hand. I am gradually beginning to see
and note how institutions like the United Nations and
causes, for the good of mannkind can be slowly torn
asunder. . '
Black, African and Third World writers therefore
must be constantly on their guard to help preserve those
principles which are good for their constituencies and
the world. Mainstream newspeople are often so subjec
tive to racism and special interests that they require con-:
stant vigilance and analysis of what they advocate.
So at the UNCA Club a group having the fancy title
of "Committee For UN Integrity" held court. Their
name alone intrigued me for if there was ever an
organization which has idealism and a strong moral
base it's the United Nations. The little nations have
brought down their wrath from time to time on the
powerful the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the
Peoples Republic of China and the United States they
have cited the UN Charter in the process.
Morris Abram, a former representative of the U.S. to
the UN Human Rights Commission and Professor Ray
mond Tantcr of the University of Michigan spoke for
the committee. Their lofty purpose, so they claim: '". . .
.A systematic policy of withholding American contribu
tions when the United Stales serves partisan rather than
humanitarian causes would help the United States
regain its prestige and reverse the 'erosion of the UN as
a force for world peace, and. . . .to end. . . .the exploita
tion of the UN for political purposes hostile to
American interests."
These gentlemen must have taken this position right
out of the Russian program of mischievousness in
frustrating the implementation of UN resolutions by
withholding their donations. So it is alarming when
Americans imitate this vile strategy to control or
plunder.
Amazingly, Professor Tamer is black and why he
should be a part of such a ploy is difficult to decipher.
For blacks in this land and throughout the era of col
onialism have been victims of such practices for genera
tions. Mr. Tamer proposed cutting U.S. allocations to the
UN and its specialized agencies when they "permit
themselves to be used for purposes beyond their man
date in order to advance political objectives contrary to
American interests, such as funding the terrorist PLO
md falsely identifying Zionism with racism," he stated.
"Our country can no longer permit the United Na
tions including its specialized agencies to bankroll
organizations dedicated to sabotaging the very basis of
the UN Charter. . . .", Mr. Tanter continued.
His thrust was obviously support for Israel against
the UN.
First of all Professor Tanter must be aware that most
blacks and certainly this writer support fully the State of
Israel, the guarantee of its borders and its rightful ro!e
in global deliberations and support pf peace. On the
other hand, Israel must accept the concern of four-fifths
of the UN membership to respect the "inalienable:
Rights of The Palestinian People," Jerusalem, Lebanon
and cease settlements on Arab territory. Further, Israeli
retaliatory raids against, so-called PLO sanctuaries in
Lebanon have killed and terrorized innocent citizens far
in excess of the PLO extremists.
It would be foolish to claim the PLO as just do-
as a"sc they aft a. government in xile, consider;,
themselves at W with Israel over the issue of a
homeland. They Aft recognized by the UN as the official
representative of 111 Palestinians. It might interest both
Mr. Kanter and Attorney Abram that the special UN
Committee on the Inalienable Rights of The Palestinian
People is ably headed by a distinguished black African
scholar and diplomat, Ambassador Falliou Kane of
Senegal. Mr. Kane has persistently been objective and
pushes the Committee toward helping secure statehood
for the Palestinians. He feels tensions in the Middle East
will cease when this is accomplished.
Both leaders of this "Committee For UN Integrity"
praised an amendment to the "1981 Appropriations Bill
for the State, Justice and Commerce Departments, pro
posed by Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY),
which prohibits U.S. contributions to UNESCO pro
jects that support the PLO. The amendment provides
that the U.S. contributions shall be reduced by 25 of
the cost of projects that distribute aid to the PLO or are.
administered by or in consultation with it," they point,
out.
"This sum is approximately equal to the U .S. share of
support for the world organization. In comparison. . .
.the total contribution of the nine oil-producing Arab
states is less than l'2," those spokesmen claim.
But Messrs. Abram and Kanter should know that
Senator Moynihan is no hero with blacks anywhere
because of his advocacy of "benign neglect" of black
Americans. It was this Senator, while Chief U.S.
Representative to the United Nations who alienated:
most Third World and African nations because he felt
hey were too small, and too unproductive to be of any
use to America. African diplomats remember him well
for this spurious theory of "benign neglect" of them
also.
Mr. Abram, in addition to aping the Russians on
selective UN contributions, goes into more depth in,
agreement with the Senator's thesis about small nations.
He observed that of the approximately 150 member
siaies in the UN, ninety were so-called "non-aligned"
.ountries, totalling no more than ten per cent of the
world's population but comprising a clear majority in
tie UN General Assembly. He commented: ."If the
United States seriously means to halt the decline of the
UN as a force for peace, we must oppose this tyranny of
he majority."
"We must demand that the UN stop spending more:
nan half of its time on the Palestinian issue, using it as
i c!uf. iq attack Israel with while ignoring the Iran-Iraq
Vctr aud giving short shrift to the Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan.
"We must oppose (he inclusion of items on the UN
igenda that are 'ultra vire' that is, issues which are
beyond the scope and power of the UN or its particular
livision to deal with."
". . . .A convention on controlling international air
rafllc does not need to have representation by the
Maldivc Islands, which has no national air carrier," Mr.
Abram said.
In my critical judgement, when Attorney Abram
peaks about the population of the small nations, he
loesn'i say that two-thirds of the peoples on this globe
ivc in the Third World. Among these arc China, India,
Indonesia, Nigeria, etc. These countries are interested in
icacc, technology and a new economic order. They also
vain the Palestinian issue resolved. By their vote from
ime to lime they deplore the lack of cooperation of
Israel with them at the UN. Israel is also a small nation
wiih power beyond its size.
"The Committee on UN Integrity" claims 100
scholars worldwide who have signed their statement
including thirty Nobel laureates. When one closely cx
inincs this list, it is majority Jewish, It seems to be self
serving giving notice to the world that when a body
mch us the UN asks Israel to cooperate with it in settling
lie Middle Past problem, Israeh' leaders seldom initiate
A Vile Ploy To Limit
Contributions To
The
U.S.
UN
By Curtis T. Perkins
:any fresh ideas and refuse all UN resolutions for the
region. Now the Committee on UN Integrity told
President-Elect Ronald Reagan to limit or cut off
United States appropriations to the UN.
This Committee concludes: "In its preoccupation
with Palestinian rights, the United Nations neglects the
plight of millions of men, women and children in other
parts of the world who are in immediate danger of death
from famine, disease and war." . : .
For a year now, as a UN correspondentwriting for
black American newspapers, working on a book and as
an economist, I view this last statement as also blatantly
self-serving. The specialized agencies of the' UN are
working deperately on famine and disease. This Com
mittee, headed by Professor Kanter and Attorney
Abram, by their methods would even interrupt the.
'minimal achievements of these agencies by interrupting
U.S. funds so badly needed by the UN. Speaking about
war, the UN spends millions yearly with its1 peace keep
ing forces in the Middle East where (heir soldiers have
been killed both by the Israelis and forces of the PLO.
Israel is known to challenge these UN forces on many
occasions.
RECOGNIZING THE TRUTH
There is racism in Israel, as there is in most of the
world. It is true that social and political scientists and
economists have studied and observed this situation in
Israel. They find it startling that the European Zionists
now settled in Israel, known as the Ashkenazim, treat
the Jews from Northern Africa and from Arab lands,
known as the Sephardim, with almost total disdain and
as inferiors on every level. Not even the discriminatory
practices of white Americans against us blacks could be
worse.
A band of American blacks, calling themselves
Israelites, who immigrated to Liberia and then to Israel,
have been isolated in the town of Desdemona. They
refuse to return to the United States. None have yet
received Israeli citizenship. These black Israelites are
denied jobs, schools and adequate housing. Despite
. petitions by prominent black leaders from the U.S. to
the highest Israeli authorities, their plight remains
bleak.
There is a hue and cry from Jewish Americans who
have very special organizations "Free Soviet Jewry."
Yet, in talking to some of these people who have since
come to America from Israel, they' charge bad treatment
by the government and citizens of Israel.
There are only two or three Sephardic Jews from Nor-
them Africa in the Jewish Knesset. They do the menial .
work. The Palestinians (PLO) know of this, so they br
ing these truths to the UN.
So, in equating "Zionism to Racism" in a narrow
sense in the agencies of the UN, perhaps Israel would
, not be so accused if it cleaned up its racism.
SHARING U.S. DOLLARS MUST BE EQUITABLE
It is a fact, over 250,000 Israelis have settled in New
York recently. They come and go as they please. They
do not suffer the harassment by U.S. Immigration
authorities as do the Haitians, Jamaicans and others
from the Caribbean seeking economic sanctuary in our
.country. Many American blacks claim these outside
Jews, including those from Russia and Israel; take their
jobs. Recently black labor leaders at the New York
Transit Authority claimed over 400 such persons were
given jobs in preference to their being upgraded.
It is true many Israelis come to the U.S. io escape
military service and the high cost of living;
Israel today gets 42 of the American foreign aid
budget. Billions go there yearly in military ajd, philan
throphy and from the sale of Israeli bonds. Yet the in
flation rate there is over 200.
Famine, pestilence, the need for telecommunication
for black Africa is not attended to in such generosity by
America.
Ut.,ArJAm4f1S31 TKZCJLLKATirrilS
A CONCLUSION . . - ;
The U.S. needs friends not only in the Middle East
out throughout the world. Even some of the littlest of .
nations have a raw material essential to oar Industrial
machine. ' ; , . " ' -
The United Nations is our last hope. To haWitny
wmraittee trying to restrict US. funding to the UN
does not help America, r
When our black leaders like the Rev. Jesse Jackson; :
former UN Ambassador Andrew Young and others are
accused of being and called anti-Jewish and ami-Israeli
by Professor Howard Addson of the Jewish Press, H Is
time some of us blacks put things in perspective. These
black leaders are only trying to help the Jewish cause by
trying to establish and maintain the good will of other
peoples as well as Israelis.
It 'is my most conscientious conclusion that many
American Jews have a tantalizing guilt complex. They
never intend to live in Israel or io make the sacrifices
therewith.
They would rather sit in America and meddle with
Israel and with American foreign policy. This is a great
disservice. It may salve their consciences but it hurts our
relations with other nations. I believe Mr. Abram Tits
this mold as spokesman of this Committee for UN In
tegrity. ...
Many Jews in America have a standard retort that
Israel is our greatest ally in the Middle Easi ami
elsewhere. This is true. Saudi Arabia. United Arab
Emirates Kuwait. Oman, Qatar, Jordan, now Algeria.
(Continued on Page 16)
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