Contemporary Egyptians, I noted at the time, might not want to give the Torah indirect credit, for, by doing so, they effectively support the case that Israel was the land of the Jews well before it was conquered by the Muslims.
Alas there's another reason to bring it up now. As Crossing the Rubicon2 observed in Haveil Havalim #5 , Meryl Yourish picked up the story that the UN is, shamefully, creating a register for all the damage the Israeli security fence has caused the Palestinians.
On the same day Kofi Annan celebrated the liberation of Nazi death camps, he asked this commission to be set up. I don't know if Mr. Annan is equipped with a sense of irony. For his purposes Jews died by the millions 60 years ago. Alas today's Jews have the capacity to fight back. Apparently they're not dying fast enough for him to remember them fondly and he must, therefore, condemn them.
A couple of days earlier he condemned Israel for defending its northern border.

The Secretary-General condemns the military escalation along the Blue Line. The Secretary-General also wishes to underscore both parties’ responsibility to ensure the safety of UN personnel deployed in the region. He urges Israel and Lebanon to exercise maximum restraint and not further jeopardize the relative quiet that has characterized the Blue Line for the past six months.

One side is a terror organization, the other a member state. Lebanon has, of course, failed to secure its sourthern region as stipulated in 425, so to blame Lebanon for the escalation is laughable. Lebanon shirked its responsibility and exercises no control over the area in question. Of course the UN certified the Israeli withdrawal from Southern Lebanon as complete which obligated Hezbollah to lay down its arms and the Lebanese army to take control. And shouldn't the presence of the UN troops be to protect innocents on both sides rather than to be free of danger? Or is the UN that ineffectual?
Ignoring the asymmetry of the situation in Israel's north is, of course, not new to the UN.
Here's the joy with which Kofi Annan's office greeted withdrawal:

The Security Council welcomes with satisfaction the report of the Secretary-General of 16 June 2000 (S/2000/590) and endorses the work done by the United Nations as mandated by the Security Council, including the Secretary- General's conclusion that as of 16 June 2000 Israel has withdrawn its forces from Lebanon in accordance with resolution 425 (1978) of 19 March 1978 and met the requirements defined in the Secretary-General’s report of 22 May 2000 (S/2000/460). In this regard, the Council notes that Israel and Lebanon have confirmed to the Secretary-General, as referred to in his report of 16 June 2000 (S/2000/590), that identifying the withdrawal line was solely the responsibility of the United Nations and that they will respect the line as identified. It notes with serious concern reports of violations that have occurred since 16 June 2000 and calls upon the parties to respect the line identified by the United Nations.

Despite this, when Hezbollah terrorist violated the border a few months later, the UN protected Hezbollah when its members kidnapped (and killed) St.-Sgt. Benny Avraham, St.-Sgt. Omar Sawaid and Sgt. Adi Avitan across the internationally recognized border. When, after months of stonewalling, the UN finally acknowledged that they had the videotape an official of the UN,

Guehenno explained that the tape would be provided with faces of non-U.N. personnel obscured in consideration of the security of UNIFIL forces and to avoid being accused by one party in the conflict of providing intelligence to another party.

"non-U.N. personnel" is an euphemism for Hezbollah terrorists. The UN couldn't be depended on to help a member state against a terror organization that had just violated the U.N.'s own border.
And that's been the sorry state of affairs in UN regarding Israel recently. The UN condemned Israel for the security fence which violates the UN's sensibilities because it protects Jews. Not only that but the UN has refused to support Israel even when Israel conforms to the UN's own standards and Israel's enemies flout them.
Stephen Flatow's righteous anger is well earned:

Stephen Flatow is the father of Alisa Flatow, a 20-year-old American citizen and Brandeis University student who was killed on April 9, 1995, when a suicide bomber drove a van loaded with explosives into the bus on which she was riding in Israel. Mr. Flatow said, “What chutzpah of the UN to record and measure people’s inconvenience, but not pay two seconds’ attention to college kids such as Alisa who have been murdered in cold blood. The UN sheds tears over the destruction of Palestinian Arab farmers’ olive trees, and worries that it is taking Palestinians a longer time to get to their destinations. How can that possibly compare to the many, many innocent lives that have been completely destroyed by Arab terrorists?”

It would be cheap shot to say that His Excellency Kofi Annan is just a mediocrity. It would also let him off the hook. The consistency of his condemnations of Israel can only be interpreted as antisemitism. He has married into a family of a man who gave his life to save Jews even under the most desparate of circumstances; while he, from the comfort of his well-appointed offices, casts aspersions on Jews who seek to defend themselves. His regal bearing, elegant accent and fine tailoring cannot hide the awful truth that he is merely a scoundrel and antisemite to boot.
Israel has a legitimate case to defend itself, but Kofi Annan utterly rejects it.
Crossposted on Israpundit and Soccer Dad.