Topic: Reducing the use of Indiscriminate Weapons in Conflict
Country: Israel
Delegate Name: Joseph Allen
School: Roeper School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Israel position papers GLIMUN 2016 committees
Welcome DISEC members. The sovereign State of Israel looks forward to working with you in the days ahead. While peace and total disarmament are lofty goals that the State of Israel hopes to achieve some day, it is important to understand the harsh realities of the world. We do not live in a world where everyone plays by the same rules. As our neighbors have consistently demonstrated, laws and treaties are merely words on paper unless properly enforced by the global community. With these ideas in mind, we come to the pressing issue of indiscriminate weapons.
When defining indiscriminate weapons, it would behoove us to understand that non-military persons are not always wholly free of judgment. As is the case with many of our neighbors, military personnel and terrorists such as members of Hamas and Hezbollah are intentionally hidden amongst civilians by sympathetic governments with the purpose of creating an illusion of innocence (1). Let us not forget that these are the same civilian governments that have proclaimed the welcoming of “every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem,” (2) and the willingness to detonate a nuclear bomb over Israel the moment they are given the chance (3). How can we claim full innocence of these citizens while they collude with terrorists when they are affected by our rightful defensive measures? When looking at the effects of so-called indiscriminate weapons, we must also consider the military role that the impacted civilians have undertaken.
Our foremost duty as a world organization for peace is to prevent the development, stockpiling, and use of nuclear weapons anywhere in the Middle East. The State of Israel calls upon the United States, its most supportive ally, to revoke the disastrous Iran Deal which only serves to advance the nuclear weapons program of the world’s largest supporter of terrorism. Iran is the world’s greatest threat to lasting peace. Iran has already fired multiple ballistic missiles, in direct defiance of Security Council mandates. Furthermore, Iran has been more than willing to gift missiles, artillery, and other indiscriminate weapons systems to Hamas, for the sole purpose of watching our people suffer (4). The State of Israel looks strongly upon a resolution with strict provisions on the acquirement and use of indiscriminate weapons in states with known malicious intents.
Most importantly, the great State of Israel implores this body to consider a complete ban on the trade of indiscriminate weapons with non-recognized state actors. It is in the world’s best interests that indiscriminate weapons do not intentionally fall into the hands of terrorists like Hamas, Hezbollah, and ISIS. There is no logical reason as to why any non-recognized state actor would ever need such weapons, save only for the execution of violence and terror. Pursuant to these demands, the State of Israel would strongly be in favor of forceful action against any state that violates such premises.
The nation of Israel understands that its past with such issues has not been entirely perfect. The Knesset, our government’s highest body, has opened up several investigations into the purported use of indiscriminate weapons against Lebanese persons in 2006. As a just and moral nation, we take responsibility for these wrongful actions, and condemn the use of any excessive and offensive indiscriminate weapons deployments.
The essence of today’s discussion comes down to responsibility; responsibility on behalf of the user and of the affected. Banning all indiscriminate weapons is as foolish as it is dangerous. Small nations like ours who are surrounded by hostile neighbors must have a means of defense and deterrence. Civilians who support or turn a blind eye to terrorism and hatred must be held accountable for their actions. It is of the sovereign State of Israel’s most honest belief that only when the world is able to understand these fundamental truths will we be able to discuss real and peaceful change.
References:
(1) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-dershowitz/hamas-tactic-require-isra_b_2159321.html
(2) http://www.wsj.com/articles/abbas-we-welcome-every-drop-of-blood-spilled-in-jerusalem-1445209820
(3) http://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahus-full-remarks-at-un-general-assembly/
(4) http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-iran-fuels-terror-1404849442
