The Nixon regime, with one eye on the autumn 1972 elections and the need to mobilize the Zionist
lobby in support of Tricky Dick's second term, wanted to find a way to opposit did not sufficiently acknowledge the unique righteousness of the Israeli cause and Israel's inherente this resolution, since (^)
right to commit acts of war against its neighbors. It was Bush who authored a competing resolution
which called on all interested parties "to take all measures for the immediate cessation and
prevention of all military operations and terrorist activities." It was Bush who dished up the
rationalizations for US rejection of the first resolution. That resolution was no good benot reflect the fact that "the fabric of violence in the Middle East in inextricably interwoven with thecause it did (^)
massacre in Munich," Bush argued. 'By our silence on the terror in Munich are we indeed inviting
more Munichs?," he asked. Justifying the Israeli air raids on Syria and Lebanon, Bush maintained
that certain governments "cannot be absolved of responsibility for the cycle of violence" because of
their words and deeds, or because of their tacit acquiescence. Slightly later, after the vote had takenplace, Bush argued that "by adopting this resolution, the council would have ignored reality, would
have spoken to one form of violence but not another, would have looked to the effect but not the
cause."
When the resolution was put to a vote, Bush made front-page headlines around the world by castingthe US veto, a veto that had been cast only once before in the entire history of the UN. The vote was (^)
13 to 1, with the US casting the sole negative vote. Panama was the lone abstention. The only other
time the US veto had been used had been in 1970, on a resolution involving Rhodesia.
The Israeli UN ambassador Yosef Tekoah did not attend the debate because of the Jewish holidayof Rosh Hashanah. But Israel's cause was well defended--by Bush. According to an Israeli
journalist observing the proceedings who was quoted by the Washington Post, "Bush sounds more
pro-Israeli than Tekoah would have." [fn 24]
Later in 1972, aindispensable basis for a Middle East pesce settlement-- the withdrawal of Israel from the territoriesttempts were made by non-aligned states and the UN Secretariat to arrange the (^)
occupied during the 1967 war. Once again, Bush was more Zionist than the Israelis.
In Februaty of 1972, the UN's Middle East mediator, Gunnar Jarring of Norway, had asked that the
Security Councshould surrender Arab territory seized in 1967. "Lil reaffirm the original contents of resolution 242 of 1967 by reand for peace" was anathema to the Israeliiterating that Israel
government then as now. Bush undertook to blunt this non-alligned peace bid.
Late in 1972 the non-aligned group proposed a resolution in the General Assembly which called for
"immediate and unconditional" Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories while inviting othercountries to withold assistance that would help Israel to sustain its occupation of the Arab land.
Bush quickly rose to assail this text.
In a speech to the General Assembly in December 1972, Bush warned the assembly that the original
text of resolution 242 wmembers should be mindful of the need to preserve the negotiating asset that it represents." "Theas "the essential agreed basis for UN peace efforts and this body and all its
assembly," Bush went on, "cannot seek to impose courses of action on the countries directly
concerned, either by making new demands or favoring the proposals or positions of one side over
the other." Never, never would George Bush ever take sides or accept a double standard of this
type. Bush did claim that the US continued to support 242 and the Jarring mission. But Bush wassuggesting that Israel and Egypt begin talks under US mediation for an interim, bilateral deal to re-
open the Suez canal. Here we can observe the policy thrust which culminated in Camp David not so
many years later, after the 1973 war had been fought..
An interesting document of this period is the text of secret conversations between Bush and the