The fact that the motion was carried was a blow to Sharon who is in a power struggle with rival Binyamin Netanyahu. The vote was widely reported in such terms. But it is also a further sign of Israel's contempt for international law, a crushing blow to Palestinian aspirations, and a likely prelude to more ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, already the largest refugee group in the world thanks to Israeli aggression. All this passes by with barely a murmur.

Despite receiving $3 billion per year in US tax dollars Israel has also now completely rejected the professed policy of the United States to acheiving a two state peace agreement. Presumably it will carry on using the money to fund its ethnic cleansing and to build more illegal settlements for jewish fundamentalists.

I imagine if Saddam Hussein had declared "I will never ever allow weapons inspectors into Iraq" the rest of the world would have an opinion which would be duly reported by an outraged corporate media, especially the US. Most likely Iraq would be immediately bombed. Yet few, if any, bothered to report the Palestinian response to hearing they are "never to have a state", at least not without being ethnically cleansed from the illegally Occupied Territories.

So those Palestinians who want a state and who haven't already been "cleansed" from Israel will have to go elsewhere to build it. Meanwhile Jews with no connection whatsoever with the region have a "right" to go and settle in the illegally occupied Palestinian territories, by virtue of their jewishness.

If that isn't criminal racism then I'm a leprechaun.

But of course, none of this matters. All we need to know is that poor Sharon has a problem.

Solidarity with brave jewish refuseniks
Boycott Israel NOW!