New York: U.S. Permanent Representative to the U.N., Ambassador Susan Rice, vetoed a Security Council vote to declare Israeli West Bank settlements illegal. The vote would most likely have resolved the entire issue and brought peace to the region. The permanent Palestinian observer, Said Riyad Mansour, stated in a press conference after the veto, "The proper message that should have been sent by the Security Council to Israel, the occupying power, is that its contempt of international law and the international community will no longer be tolerated…. We fear, however, that the message sent today may be one that only encourages further Israeli intransigence and impunity. This must be remedied."
President Obama, called Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas on the Thursday prior to the Security Council vote to come up with another solution other than a public hearing and vote in the UN.
The situation has become “awkward” for the U.S. according to Mrs. Rice. The U.S. is torn between its long-standing relationship with Israel and its newfound relationship with Palestine. "In recent days, we offered a constructive alternative course that we believe would have allowed the Council to act unanimously to support the pursuit of peace …. We regret that this effort was not successful and thus is no longer viable."
Mr. Abbas, like other Middle Eastern leaders, is afraid to show weakness of character due to outbreaks of revolt seen in Mubarak’s Egypt, Kaddafi’s Libya, and other nations across the Middle East. He does want to “move strongly from Friday’s vote,” said a source in the PLO after the meetings adjourned on Friday.
Rice reconfirmed the U.S. stance Friday, saying after the vote that Friday's veto should not be "misunderstood to mean we support settlement activity. On the contrary, we reject in the strongest terms the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity," she said.
After Friday’s vote, the Israeli and American governments announced new plans to begin talks after September’s peace negotiations fallout.
No comments:
Post a Comment