Security Council turns down Palestinian statehood
Reports from the UN news centre and Middle East Eye
December 30, 2014, penultimate day of the UN’s Year of Palestine. Voting takes place in the Security Council on a draft resolution dealing with Palestinian statehood. UN Photo/Evan Schneider
UN Security Council action on Palestinian statehood blocked
By UN news centre
December 30, 2014
Falling short of the required number of positive votes and faced with a veto from one of its permanent members, the United Nations Security Council today failed to adopt a draft resolution that would have affirmed the “urgent need” to reach within 12 months a peaceful solution to the situation in the Middle East and would have paved the way to a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The draft also outlined several parameters for the proposed solution – with a one-year deadline for negotiations with Israel and a “full and phased withdrawal of Israeli forces” from the West Bank by the end of 2017 – and would have looked forward to welcoming Palestine as a full UN Member State within the 12-month timeframe, urging both parties to build trust and negotiate in good faith.
Eight of the Council’s 15 members voted in favour, one fewer than the nine members needed to pass a resolution in the absence of a veto by any of the Council’s five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom or the United States.
While the resolution failed to receive the required majority among members, the United States also opposed the text, a move that would have seen the draft fail to pass.
Following the vote, Samantha Power, Permanent Representative of the US to the UN, stressed her country’s support for new ways to constructively support both parties in achieving a negotiated settlement.
“This resolution is not one of those constructive steps,” she said, adding that the draft set the stage for “more division, not compromise.”
The vote set-up a “staged confrontation” that did not contribute to a peaceful resolution of the Palestinian question, especially as the text was “deeply imbalanced”, establishing “unconstructive deadlines.” Five Council members abstained from the vote, including the United Kingdom, whose representative, Mark Lyall Grant, said he supported much of the draft’s content but was disappointed by the lack of negotiation and had therefore abstained.
“The Security Council has once again failed to uphold its Charter duties,” said Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine, who said the draft was tabled in the face of a political impasse caused by “Israeli intransigence.”
Israel’s representative said the opposite was true, with the Palestinians having “every chance to negotiate.” Having refused to engage, they had now tabled their “preposterous unilateral proposal,” and he warned his Palestinian counterpart that he could not “agitate and provoke” his way to a State.
The representative of France voted in favour, calling on the Council to be a positive actor, “not a theatre,” and noting his support for a “clear timetable” on peace negotiations. The other remaining permanent members also voted in favour of the draft, with Russia’s representative, Vitaly Churkin, regretting the Council’s failure to adopt, and China’s representative, also stating his deep regret.
María Cristina Perceval, the representative of Argentina, said explanation of her affirmative vote was “unnecessary” and lamented the Council’s failure to adopt the text, while Chad’s representative, Mahamat Zene Cherif, current Council President, said the draft was “balanced and moderate” adding that the Council had “once more missed a date with history”, sending a negative message that encouraged continuation of occupation, injustice and oppression. The Council, he said, had missed an opportunity give the Palestinians “a ray of hope” after direct talks yielded almost nothing.
Palestinian resolution defeated in UN Security Council vote
The UN Security Council has voted against the new Palestinian statehood resolution
By Carole Landry, Middle East Eye
January 02, 2015
UNITED NATIONS, United States – The UN Security Council failed Tuesday to adopt a resolution on Palestinian statehood that was strongly opposed by the United States.
China, France and Russia were among the eight countries that voted in favor of the text, but the resolution fell short of winning the nine “yes” votes necessary for adoption in the 15-member council.
Australia and the United States voted against, and five other countries abstained, including Britain.
The resolution drafted by the Palestinians and backed by Arab countries would have paved the way to a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
It set a 12-month deadline for Israel to reach a final peace deal with the Palestinians and called for a full Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian territories by the end of 2017.
Security Council member Jordan had requested the vote despite opposition from the United States, which argued that the resolution did not address Israel’s security concerns and set arbitrary deadlines.
“This resolution sets the stage for more division, not for compromise,” US Ambassador Samantha Power told the council. “This text addresses the concerns of just one side.”
Power defended the US position in favour of direct talks, saying “peace will come from hard choices and compromises that must be made at the negotiating table.”
US Secretary of State John Kerry had lobbied in the days leading up to the vote, calling 13 foreign ministers to explain the American opposition.
Washington was not, however, compelled to resort to its veto power to block the measure – a move that could have undermined US standing in the Arab world.
A US veto risked angering key Arab allies, including partners in the US-led coalition carrying out air strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.
Argentina, Chad, Chile, Jordan and Luxembourg joined China, France and Russia in supporting the resolution.
Lithuania, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Korea abstained, along with Britain.
Diplomatic sources said Nigeria had been expected to support the resolution and changed its stance at the last minute.
France votes ‘yes’
France’s envoy said he backed the resolution because of an “urgent need to act” and vowed to continue pressing for a UN role in reviving Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
“Our efforts must not stop here. It is our responsibility to try again, before it’s too late,” said Francois Delattre.
International alarm is growing over the ongoing violence and the failure to restart negotiations that last broke down in April, when Kerry led a push for peace.
European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the vote underlined the “urgency” for Israel and the Palestinians to resume peace negotiations.
“The European Union will promote and support now more than ever efforts to achieve a lasting peace based on this two-state vision together with international partners, including in the region,” she said.
The vote capped a three-month campaign by the Palestinians at the United Nations to win support for a resolution that sets a timeframe for ending the Israeli occupation.
Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour accused the council of failing to shoulder its responsibilities and vowed to seek other venues to gain recognition.
“The Palestinian people and the world can no longer wait. That message, despite the regrettable outcome today, is especially clear,” he told the council.
Mansour said the Palestinian leadership will meet Wednesday to decide on the next steps.
The Palestinians have said they are prepared to join the International Criminal Court to launch legal action against Israel and use other international fora to press their case if the resolution fails.
Israel – represented by the mission’s number three Israel Nitzan – delivered a terse, four-sentence address to the council.
“I have news for the Palestinians – you cannot agitate and provoke your way to a state,” he said.
“I urge the council to stop indulging the Palestinians and put an end to their march of folly.”