{"id":185379,"date":"2017-12-11T00:00:22","date_gmt":"2017-12-10T18:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=185379"},"modified":"2017-12-14T13:15:54","modified_gmt":"2017-12-14T07:45:54","slug":"jerusalem-the-silence-of-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/jerusalem-the-silence-of-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"Jerusalem: The Silence Of Sri Lanka"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><strong>By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s=Sanja+De+Silva+Jayatilleka&amp;x=10&amp;y=7\">Sanja De Silva Jayatilleka<\/a> &#8211;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_184614\" style=\"width: 160px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Sanja.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-184614\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-184614\" src=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Sanja-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Sanja-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Sanja-45x45.jpg 45w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-184614\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sanja De Silva Jayatilleka<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">On Friday the 8th of December, 8 of the 15 members of the United Nations Security Council called an emergency meeting.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>It was called by Bolivia, Egypt, France, Italy, Senegal, Sweden, UK and Uruguay, in response to President Trump\u2019s unilateral declaration that the United States recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">Writing in <i>Japan Today<\/i> Edith M. Lederer reported that \u201cOne by one, 14 members of the U.N. Security Council spoke out against President Donald Trump&#8217;s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital\u2026 some with regret and some with anger at the 15th member, the United States.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">Speaking from Jerusalem at the start of the emergency meeting of the Security Council, Nikolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator on the Situation in the Middle-East said \u201cFor both Israel and Palestine, Jerusalem will remain an integral part of their national identity\u201d.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>He said \u201cThe UN position is clear. Jerusalem is a final status issue, for which a comprehensive, just and lasting solution must be achieved through negotiation\u2026\u201d<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>Expressing his concern in the context of President Trump\u2019s announcement that there was \u201cpotential risk of violent escalation\u201d, he warned that if a solution is not found &#8220;it risks being engulfed in the vortex of religious radicalism throughout the Middle East.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">All of the UN Security Council members, except for Ambassador Nicky Haley of the United States, said that the US President\u2019s statement violated a number of Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. Several including the Ambassador of Sweden said it \u201ccontradicts international law\u201d. The Swedish Ambassador added that 40% of the inhabitants of Jerusalem were Palestinian and that UN resolutions had previously ruled that any changes to the character and status of Jerusalem were null and void. He also stated that all members of the EU were unanimous in the decision to call the emergency meeting. France said that it was \u201cgreatly alarmed by the risk of escalation\u201d and what was at stake was the \u201clegitimacy of the Security Council\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">Bolivia&#8217;s Ambassador Sasha Llorenty Soliz said the U.S. declaration undermined \u201cthe chance of achieving fair and lasting peace\u201d and that it affected the multi-cultural and multi-religious identity of Jerusalem. He said the US statement was damaging and irresponsible, and will have an impact on the entire region. The outspoken Ambassador said that the situation in Palestine was the \u201cmost prolonged military occupation in modern history\u201d and if the Security Council doesn&#8217;t take the responsibility for \u201cdecisions and measures\u201d, the \u201cSecurity Council will become an occupied territory\u201d and \u201cwill have to add itself to the list of settlements by the occupying power\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">China said it was \u201chighly concerned\u201d that it \u201cwill trigger new conflicts\u201d in the region. The Ambassador said that China stood for a two state solution with East Jerusalem as the Capital of Palestine. He also said that China had put forward proposals for a peace settlement. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">The Russian Ambassador said that it had proposed a summit in Russia for all parties to come to an agreement. Russia, he said, was for a solution with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine and West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">US Ambassador Nicky Haley, speaking at the emergency meeting said that President Trump \u201cacted to no longer deny the will of the American people\u201d.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>She said the declaration \u201creflected an honest assessment of reality\u201d adding that it will help the peace process when people are honest with each other.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>She added that the \u201cUN has been one of the foremost centres of hostility to Israel\u201d. She said that the US will not stand by when Israel is unfairly attacked and that the US will not be lectured to by countries that lack any credibility when it comes to treating Israelis and Palestinians fairly.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">The \u2018lectures\u2019 came from all those present there, except for the US and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s=Israel\">Israel<\/a>, which had been invited to the emergency session with other non-members, Palestine and Jordan. It is obvious that all Security Council members except the US feel strongly that President Trump\u2019s declaration would lead to an escalation of violence in the Middle East, a region that has already suffered more than any other. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">The timing of President Trump\u2019s statement is also significant given that two new initiatives for a settlement had been proposed and welcomed. The question arises as to why President Trump chose this moment to announce recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, when it could clearly jeopardize on-going initiatives for peace in the region. If this was clear to most of the world, including its allies, how was it that the United States found this an opportune moment for such an announcement?<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">In July this year the <i>China Daily<\/i> reported a proposal of \u201ca tripartite dialogue mechanism among China, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s=Palestine\">Palestine<\/a> and Israel to promote major projects to assist the Palestinian side. Under the proposal, China will host a symposium on peace between Palestine and Israel later this year.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">Chinese Special Envoy for the Middle East Issue Gong Xiaosheng had told <i>Xinhua<\/i> in a recent interview that \u201cIsrael, which previously did not want any other country except the United State to get involved in the Israeli-Palestinian issue, has now changed its attitude and is willing to engage China in the peace process.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">Dr. Yoram Evron a Lecturer in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Haifa, writing in August this year in <i>The Diplomat<\/i> says that the 2017 Chinese proposals are the first to be made \u201cin the context of the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) vision. This vision has unprecedentedly advanced\u00a0China\u2019s interest in the Middle East, and its stake in regional stability has grown significantly. Concomitantly, OBOR provides China with unprecedented means to influence regional processes in ways that it finds acceptable under its \u201cbusiness first\u201d approach to the Middle East\u201d. Commenting on China\u2019s motivation for the proposals he says \u201cas Beijing regards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a major destabilizing factor in the region, OBOR provides it with clear motivation, and equips it with economic-political tools, to promote its resolution.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">In May, the <i>Middle East Monitor<\/i> reported that a Russian initiative had been welcomed by President Abbas who said after meeting President Putin at Sochi that \u201csolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be \u201cimpossible\u201d without Moscow taking part in the peace process\u201d. It said that the Russian state news agency\u00a0<i>Tass\u00a0<\/i>had reported the Palestinian leader as saying \u201cIt is impossible to solve the Palestinian issue without Russia\u2019s meaningful participation in the peace process\u2026That is what we have been emphasizing at all international meetings\u201d . <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">Given Russia\u2019s recent success in Syria, it is unsurprising that a Russian initiative was welcomed in the region with renewed hope and optimism after decades of unsuccessful negotiations interrupted by regular and bloody conflict at intolerable human cost, a repeated reminder of a helpless humanity, powerless in the face of prolonged and horrendous human suffering. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">Strong European allies of the United States, the Prime Minister of Britain, the President of France, Germany\u2019s Chancellor and the Prime Minister of Italy made statements disagreeing with the US declaration, calling it \u201cunhelpful\u201d \u201cregrettable\u201d, and appealed for the status of Jerusalem to be resolved \u201cin the framework of a two state solution\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">An <i>intifada<\/i> has already been called by both Hamas and Hezbollah. Demonstrations have taken place in Cairo, Gaza and the West Bank and Paris. How does this help move the peace process along, as the US claimed in the aftermath of the announcement?<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">The UN Secretary General speaking to the press at UN Headquarters in New York condemned \u201cany unilateral measures that would jeopardize the prospect of peace for Israelis and Palestinians\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">The Pope said that \u201cJerusalem is a unique city,\u201d and that it was, \u201csacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, where the Holy Places for the respective religions are venerated, and it has a special vocation to peace.\u201d He said \u201cI wish to make a heartfelt appeal to ensure that everyone is committed to respecting the status quo of the city, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">What is Sri Lanka\u2019s current stand on this, the most vexing and the oldest issue in international relations? There have been several editorials in the Sri Lankan press condemning the US announcement. The Foreign Ministry has remained silent, perhaps due to Sri Lanka\u2019s new alliance with the United States.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>Can it articulate Sri Lanka\u2019s traditional position and risk the annoyance of its new patron, or does its silence on the issue question the foreign policy direction of the Unity Government? <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">The SLFP wing of the Unity government has traditionally been supportive of the Palestinian position, with President Rajapaksa heading the Sri Lanka Committee for Solidarity with Palestine, while also ensuring that Israel\u2019s concerns were accommodated. The SLFP never failed to make a public stand of its support for Palestine. With the change in the leadership of the SLFP, has this policy changed?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>The Middle East is not a region that Sri Lanka can ignore, given that a large percentage of its foreign earnings emanating from the region, to say nothing of the imperatives of common humanity. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">On the 7th of December, The New York Times reported that \u201cAll but two of 11 former United States ambassadors to Israel contacted by The New York Times after\u00a0President Trump\u2019s decision\u00a0to recognize Jerusalem as Israel\u2019s capital thought the plan was wrongheaded, dangerous or deeply flawed.\u201d The mounting criticism of the US from within the country and around the world on this issue brings into question its pronouncements on other issues, including on Sri Lanka. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">The Foreign Ministry is in a bit of a bind. How it evaluates the importance of articulating Sri Lanka\u2019s stand on the issue of Palestine, given the context in which the US announcement was made and the near universal condemnation of it, will dictate the Foreign Ministry\u2019s response. So far, it seems to have decided that it is in Sri Lanka\u2019s national interest to remain silent. For how long can it do so? <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":103,"featured_media":184614,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,46,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colombotelegraph","category-constitutional-reforms","category-editorial"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Jerusalem: The Silence Of Sri Lanka - Colombo Telegraph<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/jerusalem-the-silence-of-sri-lanka\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Jerusalem: The Silence Of Sri Lanka - 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