When the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) passed a resolution denying the historic connection between the Jewish people and the Temple Mount, China and Russia joined a number of Arab and Muslim states in voting for it. Besides providing more evidence that the Palestinians are more interested in delegitimizing Israel than in establishing a state, writes Yaakov Amidror, the vote also demonstrates that those who imagine Israel exchanging its ties with America for an alliance with Russia or China are deeply deluded:
China is a weak country. It is trying to climb to the top of the global ladder despite fierce opposition, and it needs all the support it can get on the international stage. The Islamic bloc, comprising 57 of the UN’s 193 members, is therefore crucial. . . .
China has nothing against Israel and would like to improve relations in all areas, but cannot ignore the power the Muslim bloc wields at the UN. This is why it cannot change its voting patterns. It has nothing to do with anti-Semitism or the actual diplomatic ties between Israel and China. [Furthermore], there is a gap between the sympathy young Chinese feel for Israel and the views of the older generation, which is still entangled in outdated perceptions and irrelevant historical obligations. . . .
[In] Russia, too, all that matters is the numbers: the Muslim bloc is larger than the bloc of countries that back Israel, so that is the bloc that receives consistent support.
[Additionally], China and Russia share concerns over Islamic extremists, and it is therefore important that they avoid straining their relationships with Muslim countries. . . . This [too] is not a sign of strength but of weakness.
Israelis who cultivate the pipe dream of substituting Israel’s long-term bond with the U.S. with an alliance with China and Russia should take a long, hard look at UNESCO’s resolutions. Moscow’s and Beijing’s policies lack the ethical basis that pervades U.S. policy, and the chances of forging a similar long-term bond with either are slim.
Israel will always be small and will lack sister-states in the international arena. It is much more naturally inclined to foster deep and binding ties with the U.S. than with countries like Russia and China.
Read more on BESA Center: http://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/375-amidror-lessons-unesco-vote/