T. Belman. If the US fails to veto, it may not be that bad. For one thing it will go against Obama’s reelection in 2012. There will be no legal significance to it. The Security Council’s role is not to declare what is legal or not but to maintain peace. A Chapter VII resolution is required to put teeth into their declaration.
The Palestinians said the UN Security Council will vote Friday on a resolution to condemn Israeli settlements, rejecting a compromise proposal by the United States as too little, too late.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN observer, called settlement building in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want as their capital, the “main obstacle” to the resumption of peace negotiations with Israel and said construction must stop.
Calling for a vote now, Mansour said, “Is our effort to respond to what is happening in the Middle East by not putting the issue of the Palestinian question on the back burner but to put it on the front burner.”
The United States, Israel’s closest ally, has voiced opposition to settlement building. But Washington also opposes bringing the issue to the UN’s most powerful body, arguing that this complicates US-led efforts to resume stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks where the settlement issue should be resolved.
Friday’s vote puts the Obama administration in a difficult position because a veto would anger the Palestinians and its many supporters around the world while an abstention would anger the Israelis. Either way, the US vote could complicate efforts to resume direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, especially at this sensitive time of widespread anti-government protests in the Mideast.
At a meeting Tuesday with key Arab nations, diplomats said US Ambassador Susan Rice proposed a weaker Security Council presidential statement instead of a legally binding resolution. The US also promised to support a council visit to the Middle East and to include language in the next communiqué of the Quartet of Mideast peacemakers sought by the Palestinians on the 1967 border.
The Palestinians want a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, captured by Israel in 1967. They want negotiations to start on the basis of the 1967 border, but have said they are ready to adjust it in a land swap to let Israel to keep some of the Jewish settlements it has build on occupied land.
The resolution says that
-
“Israeli settlements established in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including east Jerusalem, are illegal and constitute a major obstacle to the achievement of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.”
Since the resolution was circulated in mid-January, Mansour said, “We demonstrated tremendous amount of flexibility and understanding.”
“We hope that everyone will be on board on Friday,” he said. “We hope that it will not be vetoed.”
When Egypt’s Abdelaziz was asked what would be accomplished if the US vetoes the resolution, he responded by asking: “What is accomplished by the United States Secretary of State (Hillary Clinton) saying we are against settlements but we do not want to go to the Security Council about it, and we do not want to do anything about it with Israel? What are we going to accomplish at the other end?”
How’s that “unfortunate”?
Could well be the only good thing to come out of it.
More On The Resolution.
As it stands, 120 Nations have co-sponsored the resolution. There are 120 permutations of the divine name Elohim, which represents the attribute of strict judgment (middat ha’din). V’haven.
Also, commentators believe that the US, notwithstanding calls to cast a no-veto or abstain, will veto the resolution while 14 other members of the UNSC will vote “for” it.
14 is the gematria of yad – hand, which is to say the Nations are sealing their judgment with their own “hand” – ultimately, they will be held accountable for their wickedness.
Things are happening.
U.S.: Veto on UN draft is not endorsement of settlement construction
The United States has vetoed a Security Council draft resolution condemning Israeli settlement construction as illegal.
U.S. veto thwarts UN resolution condemning settlements
H/T Teshuva :
In sharp reversal, U.S. agrees to rebuke Israel in Security Council
Hey Conservatives! John Bolton also rebuked Israel’s settlement policy at the U.N.
Bolton when he was President of SC:
Who can we really trust?
I hope America doesn’t veto or abstain but votes for the resolution.
We then tell America she can no longer be an arbiter between we and any Arab nation or group such as the so called plais. Declare massive building projects all over J & S. Make a public statement that we will forgo all military aid and assistance from America providing America also halts same to Egypt and our neighbors. We should also recall our ambassador for indefinite consultations.
Israel should announce the cancellation of our agreement to purchase 20 F-35’s and immediately enter into negotiations with Russia, China and India for a replacement. Suspend the Tax rebates to the PA. and block the export of produce from any of the PA and Hamas controlled areas. They can ship through Egypt and Jordan. Reinstall all roadblocks removed as so called confidence building measures by Israel.
Block all Pali workers from the territories from working in Israel. Cease all imports into Israel of all produce grown under PA control. Cancel all VIP passes to pali politicians and close our free medical aid to any Pali living in the territories. Reduce the amt of water we supply the the territories and Jordan so long as we are experiencing sever drought and we Israeli citizens are now required to pay extortion prices for the water we all use. We should cut all services free or otherwise from Israel to the Territories like electricity and telecommunications as well as water.
Israel needs to learn how to play hardball and we have a lot of cards to play.
What I am suggesting or some facsimile of them will eventually become our policy so why not start now. An American vote in favor or abstention will at least give us a justifiable reason for doing these things sooner rather than later.
No peace Process means no negotiations and of course no peace. The best of all worlds as far as Israel is concerned.
The US is expected to veto the resolution.
See the simple and concise retort to the UN from the OU.
How about a resolution just changing a few words.. “ Continued violence aimed at civilians, including, but not limited to suicide bombings, drive by shootings, kidnappings, rocket attacks, and incitement for terrorism, promulgated and instigated by the democratically elected bodies in the area of Yesha, known today as the “territories” as well as the Hamas dictatorship in Gaza, are illegal and constitute a major obstacle to the achievement of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace as well as basic human rights.”
Nah…i dont think it’ll pass either…The truth hurts, huh?
Amazing how many lies are told in so few words; the skill it takes to be so succinct w/ BS.
They are NOT “settlements.”
The territory is NOT “Palestinian.”
The territory is NOT “occupied since 1967” — that was the year the occupation (a real one) ENDED.
The communities in question — including the ones in the eastern sector of Jerusalem — are NOT “illegal.”
The only kind of ‘peace’ to which they “constitute a major obstacle” is the peace of the grave.