UNITED NATIONS, N.Y. (Press Release) –The United States, as well as Australia and five other countries, prevented the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution pushed by the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League. The measure “is not constructive, sets arbitrary deadlines and fails to account for Israel’s security needs,” the U.S. State Department said prior to the vote.
Of the 15 Security Council members, eight voted in favor, two voted against and five abstained. Thus, the resolution failed to secure the nine votes needed to pass.
“Once again, the United States stands out as a voice of clarity, courage and reason,” said American Jewish Committee (AJC) Executive Director David Harris.
U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power chastised the Security Council after the vote for hastily convening and taking action on the Palestinian resolution without any discussion. She said this “staged confrontation” will not advance the cause of peace.
“If Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas had devoted as much time and energy to the peace talks with Israel as he has to the UN Security Council, there might have been real progress in achieving a negotiated two-state solution,” said Harris. “But, alas, he proves once again that the Palestinian leadership would rather grandstand for its constituency than move the peace process forward.”
“Abbas’s capacity to undermine U.S. leaders shows no bounds,” said Harris. “In April, he dismissed Secretary of State John Kerry’s efforts to extend the peace negotiations with Israel and instead entered into a unity partnership with Hamas. And now, he blithely disregarded Washington’s appeal to hold off on UN Security Council action.”
Kerry had asked Abbas on Sunday to delay the resolution. However, the 22 Arab states, some more enthusiastically than others, agreed to force a vote, and Jordan, currently a member of the Security Council, introduced the measure.
“Only direct Israeli-Palestinian talks, not another UN resolution, can bring about sustainable peace,” said Harris, who also praised Australia for joining the U.S. in voting no, and Lithuania, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Korea, and the United Kingdom for abstaining.
The countries supporting the resolution were Argentina, Chad, Chile, China, France, Jordan, Luxembourg, and Russia.
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In other reactions:
Conference of Presidents leaders Robert G. Sugarman, Chairman, and Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, welcomed the United Nations Security Council vote rejecting the resolution initiated by the Palestinian Authority and brought to the Council by the representative of Jordan on behalf of the Arab states.
“We are grateful for the leadership of the United States in working against the resolution, which would have undermined the chances for peace by setting arbitrary deadlines, prejudicing final status issues, and undermining chances for a negotiated settlement. Australia and other countries expressed opposition to the measure as well, recognizing that only negotiations can lead to a true and lasting peace. We, too, want to see progress, but that will require that President Abbas stop resorting to international bodies to avoid the give and take of direct talks with Israel.”
“We applaud the dedicated effort of Secretary of State Kerry, Ambassador Samantha Power and members of the U.S. Mission to the UN, and Ambassador Prosor and members of Israel’s Mission to the UN, who took the lead in pointing out the faults and misguided content of the resolution that led to the failure to secure the necessary 9 votes to pass.
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Preceding compiled from news releases sent to San Diego Jewish World