US Vetoes Palestinian Statehood Resolution at UN

The United States has vetoed a United Nations Security Council draft resolution on Palestinian statehood that demanded Israel withdraw from the occupied territories. Even without the U.S. veto, the measure would have fallen one vote short of the nine it needed among the council's 15 members in order to pass. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power explained the veto by saying Israeli-Palestinian peace can only come from "hard choices and compromises" and that the resolution would not move the sides closer to a two-state solution. "We voted against this resolution not because we are indifferent to the daily hardships or the security threats endured by Palestinians and Israelis. But because we know that those hardships will not cease and those threats will not subside until the parties reach a comprehensive settlement achieved through negotiations,” said Power. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian representative at the U.N., criticized the council and said it is not fulfilling its responsibilities. "The Security Council has once again failed to uphold its charter duties to address these crises and to meaningfully contribute to a peaceful and lasting solution in accordance with its own resolutions," said Mansour. The draft would have given Israel until the end of 2017 to pull out of the West Bank and Gaza back to the pre-1967 war borders. It also called for Israel and the Palestinians to reach a peace deal within one year. The French News Agency quoted a Hamas spokesman criticizing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, saying the push for a Security Council resolution was a "unilateral decision" and that he has "taken the Palestinian decision-making process hostage." Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu praised the vote Wednesday, thanking the United States, Australia, Rwanda and Nigeria. The U.S. and Australia voted against the measure, while Rwanda and Nigeria were two of the five countries that abstained.



from Voice of America http://www.voanews.com/content/us-vetoes-palestinian-statehood-resolution-at-un/2580150.html