One week before the Olympic Winter Games are set to begin in the Russian Federation, the President of the (UN) General Assembly John Ashe has said: "I call upon all warring parties of current armed conflicts around the world to boldly agree to true mutual ceasefires for the duration of the Olympic Truce, thus providing an opportunity to settle disputes peacefully." And yet, it was only on January 16, 2014 that the same Mr. Ashe spoke at the opening of the Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People with a different agenda. He said that he was delighted about the convicted Palestinian murderers that Israel had been pressured to release from jail. (He didn't mention the reason they were in jail.) He condemned Israel for a variety of alleged crimes and stated only Israel was guilty of "contraventions of international law." As for unprovoked Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel, according to Ashe, they were morally equivalent to Israeli efforts to stop those same attacks. In his
words: "The international community is also rightly concerned by the recent tensions on the border between Gaza and Israel, rocket fire from Gaza into Israel, and Israeli air strikes on Gaza. This aggression... undermines the fragile ceasefire between the two sides..." Of course, there will be no "Olympic truce," and for that Mr. Ashe bears some considerable responsibility. Since he presides over a United Nations that cannot tell the difference between right and wrong.