Israel orchestrated a drama, interdicting a cargo ship on November 3 for allegedly carrying Iranian arms for Hizbollah and then releasing it after nothing incriminating was found.

Israel’s reported justification for its action under UN Resolution 1747 looks paradoxical in view of its utter and open defiance of all UN resolutions pertaining to the Palestinian issue, particularly resolutions 242, 338 and 194.

One wonders how Israel seeks justification for its illegal action by invoking one UN resolution while blatantly defying scores of others that it is obliged to implement under international law.

The Israeli action coincided with the day UN was considering the Goldstone report. It was a tactical move by Tel Aviv; Al Jazeera’s correspondent Jacky Rowland suggested that “actually the announcement was timed to, if anything, distract some of the attention of the media in Israel from the Goldstone report”.

It is really astonishing how convenient it all was for Israel: the timing, knowing already where all the ammunition was, and the subsequent release, on the same day within a few hours, of the ship and its crew with the rest of its cargo.

Israeli action amounts to piracy at sea, a crime under the international law. Ironically, this state in the Middle East armed to the teeth is complaining about others wanting to defend themselves against its aggression.

The people who just perpetrated atrocities in Gaza and are condemned by the Goldstone report are defying the UN resolutions and say others should not have the right to defend themselves.

Israel is reaping the fruit of its misdeeds and by blaming others or distracting attention it can no longer camouflage its atrocities. It is practising plutocracy and suffering because of its own actions.

Israel routinely avoids the UN when it sees fit and brings up its resolutions when it wants to point out another nation’s violations. Unfortunately, it can afford to do that because it can easily hide behind the US veto power.

Israel may not need to defend itself so heavily if it implemented relevant UN resolutions by vacating the occupied Arab territories, and giving the Palestinian refugees the right of return instead of building more and more settlements.

It is time for Israel to reconcile with realities and implement UN resolutions. This will help Tel Aviv live in peace and let others live in peace.

Israeli reconciliation with its Arab neighbours will also help the region to keep outside powers, particularly Iran, less involved in the region. The ball lies in the Israeli court.