Israel and the South Pacific Islanders

Last week the leaders of Micronesia and Nauru visited Israel. These South Pacific island nations (along with Palau) are among Israel’s biggest supporters. Israel Behind the News provides some useful background to this diplomatic effort.

Of course, the support of these tiny nations for Israel, is the source for much scorn in the MSM. The Washington Post’s Howard Schneider reports:

“The concept is that we reach out to every nation, whether it is small or big, remote or close,” said Michael Ronen, Israel’s ambassador to several Pacific island countries. The countries are among the smallest in the world — Micronesia has about 108,000 people and Nauru about 15,000 — but their votes count the same in an organization that routinely considers resolutions and issues related to the Arab-Israeli dispute.

Of course one could also frame that last sentence differently: Arab contries, which deny their citizens the franchise, yet their votes count the same as nations whose citizens are free in an organization that routinely considers resolutions and issues related to the Arab-Israeli dispute. True, not all democracies vote for Israel in the UN, but the Arab and “non-aligned” bloc is treated by many as sacrosanct simply on account of their numbers, even though they don’t grant the same freedom to their citizens that the UN grants them.

But this goes back to how Israel ought to be judged. I’ve already argued that Israel should be judged by its humanitarian nature.

For Micronesia and Nauru, however, it has been all “soft power” — something also on display in recent days through the Israel Defense Forces’ quick dispatch of a field hospital team to Haiti.

Along with visits to religious sites, which Mori said he found particularly profound, the delegation was given briefings on renewable energy, water management policies and other issues that the Pacific nations consider critical, given their concerns about global climate change and rising sea levels.

Israel has sent experts to consult about the area’s citrus crops and irrigation techniques, sent medical technicians to provide radiology training, and offered scholarships to Israeli colleges.

There is no quid pro quo, of course, but also no surprise that in the annual round of U.N. resolutions criticizing Israel, Micronesia and Nauru are regular members of what Israeli diplomats like to call their “moral minority.”

Of course Israel provides this kind of assistance to many less fortunate nations and it results in no diplomatic payback or even . Take Jordan, Egypt or even the Palestinian Authority (though the Palestinian Authority unilaterally refused such help since it launched the “Aqsa” intifada in 2000).

The point is that Israel offers aid to most countries who need it. Most, unlike Micronesia, Nauru and Paulu don’t show their appreciation.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad.