A Penny for your Resolutions

Last night, The United Nations backed what is being called "a milestone resolution" which calls for an end to military action by all sides in the Gaza Strip. This resolution calls for an "immediate and durable" ceasefire and was backed by 14 out of 15 members of the security council. (Guess what country abstained.)
UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband said that by passing this resolution the UN had "served its purpose", and he urged the international community to "turn the words (of the resolution) into changes on the ground".

How and when will this declaration impact events on the ground?

While Miliband sat in New York expressing hope, discussions of a peace plan took place in Cairo. At the same time the Israeli aggressions against Gaza continued in full force.



For years the international community has turned a blind eye to Israel's violations of international law. We all know that the legal worth and weight of U.N. resolutions are notoriously irrelevant. Why should this time be any different? (Sadly, the vast majority of the governments violating UN Security Council resolutions are close allies of the United States)


I have to agree with Miliband's statement that:


"The UN can pass resolutions, but it is the decisions of the people on the ground that can make the difference between peace and war"