US vetoes UN resolution on Palestine membership

now Israel and Iranian envoys have traded verbal blows in a security council meeting on the Middle East that was largely focused on the situation in Gaza it comes after Israel vowed to respond to Iran's a aerial strikes against its territory that's over the past weekend after a suspected Israeli attack on Iran's Consulate in Damascus Syria killed senior leadership of that country's military establishment including the Revolutionary guard now both envoys accused the other of representing a terrorist State while members of the security Council looked on thank you Mr President Israel's an boy accused Iran of being a terrorist State pointing to its aerial assault last Saturday as just the latest example of what he called the Ayatollah regime's blood soaked history the aah regime's foreign minister husen Amir abdan is a member of the Iranian Revolution AR guard Corp this Terror organization the irgc is responsible for Carnage Bloodshed and destruction worldwide from Terror attacks in South America and assassination plots of on European and American soil to Arms trafficking in Africa and Terror sponsorship across the Middle East the irgc is in the business of murder the irgc is a designated terrorist organization not only in Israel not only in the United States in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia he accused Iran of ensuring Hamas was able to carry out the October 7th attack while providing Weaponry to Hezbollah in Lebanon whom erdan also accuses of raining down missiles on Israeli towns and cities in its northern regions yet instead of designating the irgc as a terror organization and sanctioning Iran's evil regime the security Council opens its doors for Iran's foreign minister for a terrorists can you not see what is going on here Terror minister abdulian is not here to express sorrow for his regime's Brazen attack and tell this Council that the Islamic Republic has changed its ways he is here to make a mockery of you he is here to show you all in your suits and with your diplomatic niceties that his country can launch an attack on another member State on Saturday and then he can come here on Thursday to lecture you all on human rights and and international law Minister Abdul Yan's presence here today is making this institution a joke the minister in question arrived later to assert Iran's right to self-defense against the suspected Israeli attack on its Consulate in Syria lamenting the lack of international condemnation against Israel for that strike it was carried out in response to a series of attacks and recurring aggressions by the Israeli regime in form of missile attacks on Iran's interests especially on our Embassy in Syria thirdly it took place in the Fulfillment of Iran's right to legitimate defense under international law fourthly it was conducted by observing the Criterion of non-aggression to civilian people and places he again asserted that Iran's self-defense actions had been concluded amid strong indications from Israel that it would respond the Israeli regime the terrorist isra regime must be compelled to stop any further military adventurism against our interests certainly in case of any use of force by the Israeli regime and violating our sovereignty the Republic of Iran will not hesitate a bit to assert its inherent right to give a decisive and proper response to it to make the regime regret its actions this is an unchangeable decision the United States Envoy also confirmed fresh sanctions against Iran's unmanned aerial program its largest steel producers and automobile companies with connections to the Revolutionary guard Iran has provided significant funding and training for the military wing of Hamas which as we know perpetrated unspeakable acts of Cruelty on October 7 against Israelis Americans and citizens from countries all over the world this long-standing Iranian support continues to contribute to the current crisis in Gaza while Iran's Minister will offer excuses for these actions today we have a collective responsibility to set the record straight on Iran's nefarious actions to ensure that Iran both complies with the council's resolutions and ceases its violations of international law Mr President earlier the UN Secretary General Antonio gues warned the council that the Middle East was on a precipice and one miscalculation away from a fullscale regional escalation that would be devastating for those involved and the rest of the world Sherin rice sabc News New York right to recap on the events taking place in New York we are joined Now by sabc News correspondent at the UN headquarters sh and Brian Bryce peace sh and very good evening to you a lot of reaction on the ground fingers being pointed at Iran raising a lot of questions at the same time What are some of the reactions you've observed on your end as this story continues to capture momentum well there's so many thrusts in terms of what has been playing itself in the playing itself out and poor in the security Council today you of course have as a backdrop to that conversation that sparring between the uh Israeli uh Ambassador and the uh foreign minister of Iran you also have a process that is currently unfolding in the security Council as it pertains to palestine's request its application for full membership of the United Nations so while you have the Israelis and the Iranians going at each other there is a process that has been focused on whether Palestine will be able to exceed to full membership of this institution and become the 194th UN member State now as you might be aware there was an admissions committee that met twice before today's meeting a subsidiary body of the UN Security Council that failed to reach consensus on approving uh uh palestine's membership uh but that does not limit the full Security Council to convene as it is doing currently uh where we now expect just moments from now a vote will take place on whether the security Council will approve that application by by Palestine and and then send it to the UN General Assembly where 2/3 majority is required to complete the process let me quickly read to you article form and po of the UN Charter it says membership in the UN is open to all peaceloving states which accept obligations of the UN Charter the admission of such a state to membership of the UN will be affected by a decision of the general assembly on the recommendation of the security Council so what then will transpire in the moments ahead the United States which has veto power in the UN Security Council has already indicated that it does not support Security Council action as it regards to Palestinian statehood it believes that the Palestinians should be engaging directly with the Israelis indirect negotiations on the broader issues of a two-state solution that will inform the decisions of the United Nations in terms of giving Palestine full membership what the Palestinians are arguing is we've waited long enough right they've waited seven plus decades uh for recognition within the the United Nations and as an internationally recognized Palestinian State none of those two things have happened outside of the multilateral process and so their argument is it needs to happen now because it will help Foster peace in the broader middle east region and so we are moments away from what could be a historic decision but the United States has already choreographed its decision here that if Palestine receives the minimum of nine votes in favor of the resolution in the security Council now the United States will inevitably use its veto to block that recommendation to the to the UN General Assembly moving forward and what will that mean for Palestine I mean they are hoping that this move does get some approval and the the impact of its membership will signify great strides well we could argue right from both sides of the equation as to whether this will actually change the calculus on the ground will it improve conditions for Palestinians there are Divergent views on that from the opposing sides in that regard but let me tell you what is at play more broadly in terms of what the UN Secretary General Antonio gutterz told the meeting on the Middle East in the council earlier today the Middle East is on a precipice recent days have seen a perilous escalation in words and deeds one miscalculation one miscommunication one mistake could lead to the unthinkable a fullscale regional conflict that would be devastating to all involved he also then touched on issues of humanitarian Aid which of course there are huge deficits that are still being experienced in Gaza where some 2.3 million people continue to face a humanitarian catastrophe he did talk about some improvements in terms of getting more trucks folded with Aid into the Gaza Strip but this is not sustainable it's not predictable and the the the risk of starvation still proliferates across uh the Gaza Strip he also talked about the two-state solution which informs kind of what's going on in the council right now he said the ultimate goal remains a two-state solution Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security with Jerusalem as the capital of both states on the basis of un resolutions international law and uh previous agreements he also talked about how the Middle East is on a knife edge recent escalation makes it even more important to support the good faith efforts to find a lasting peace between Israel and a fully independent viable and Sovereign Palestinian State failure to make progress and poor is what the Secretary General says failure to make progress towards a two-state solution will only increase volatility and risk of hundreds of millions of people across the region who will live under the constant threat of violence so we can't underestimate the importance of the security Council decision there are of course Divergent views as to its impact on the ground what the Palestinians believe is a is is articulating in a broader sense is the frustration that more than seven DEC ades they are still not recognized as a full fully fledged independent state at the United Nations no less uh by the multilateral institutions around the world so so you say that the US is calling for these negotiated settlements but as matters stand right now there are no negotiations what are the likelihoods of of achievement of achieving this uh um envisioned negotiation I mean I guess we have to walk before we can run right and walking would be resolving the current conflict in Gaza uh there have been appeals there have been Security Council resolutions to that effect calling for example for a a Ramadan ceasefire which was largely ignored by Israel and so dealing with that conflict arresting the conflict getting more humanitarian Aid is the immediate imperative as to where we go from here but without dealing with Gaza without dealing with the humanitarian crisis without ending the bullets uh we are not going to get direct negotiations I'm just looking to the left of my screen here and Paul it does look that like the Security Council is now taking that vote as to whether uh to make that recommendation to the general assembly I wonder if we should be listening to that but as I continue here it seems that the United States has vetoed it does seem that the United States has now vetoed that resolution I saw the hand raised by Robert a wood the alternate ambassador of the United States to the United Nation so um I don't have the audio up here but it does seem that this resolution will go no further given the US veto so that's the breaking news out of New York the United States has vetoed uh a Algerian drafted resolution that would have recommended full membership of the State of Palestine to the general assembly where a 2/3 majority vote would have been needed 12 votes in favor one vote against two extensions the draft resolution has not been adopted owing to the negative vote of a permanent member of the council I now give the floor to those members of the council who wish to make statements after the vote I pass the floor to the representative of the Russian Federation Madame President Madame President Madam president this day may go down in history as a day when after 34 of a century the international uh community at last made the right choice on the path towards correcting the many years of historical Injustice done to Palestine and the legitimate aspirations of its heroic people because it a simple question are the Palestinians worthy of being part of the global family fully participating in all of the decisions of international life and a question that we have constantly answered with consent and when Israel was welcomed into the UN and when dozens of state also released from the colonial yoke were welcomed into the UN however our American colleagues believe differently having for the fifth time since the beginning of the exacerbation in Gaza their veto they have once again demonstrated what they really think of the Palestinians for Washington they do not deserve to have their own State they are only a barrier on the path towards realizing the interest of Israel for that reason the United States is ready to the last to turn a blind eye to the crimes of Israel against the civilians in Gaza not noting the uh illegal settlement building activity in West Jerusalem on the West Bank the aim is to break the Palestinians will to force them once and for all to submit to the occupying power to once and for all to submit to the occupying power to turn them into servants and second class persons and perhaps to once and for all force them out of their native territory that policy is only having the opposite impact at present an absolute majority of the global community support palestine's application to become a full member of the world organization the suffering of Palestinian civilians is resounding in the hearts and minds of millions of people around the world in countries that Supply weapons to West jerusalm Jerusalem there are louder and louder voices calling voices calling for those supplies to be banned and today's use of the veto by the US delegation is a hopeless attempt to um stop the inevitable course of history the results of the vote where Washington was practically in complete isolation speak for themselves with the most playing into the hands of the most irrational actions by their Ally and reluctant to find just Solutions on the basis of the existing International legal basis is a direct path to the further sliding into the mire of War which could Encompass the entire region if the United States and Israel uh benefit from this then it will only be in the short term at the same time Washington will once and for all remove itself from the list of peaceloving and respected States having um fully shared responsibility with its Israeli allies for the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians and that is not worthy of a great power and history will not forgive you for that we call on the United States to listen to the voice of reason to think about the consequences of their decisions and to immediately join in the efforts of the other members of the security Council to establish an immediate ceasefire in Gaza thank you I thank the representative of the Russian Federation and pass the floor to the United States thank you madam president the United States has worked vigorously and with determination to support Palestinian statehood in the context of a comprehensive peace agreement that would permanently resolve the Israeli Palestinian conflict since the attacks of October 7 President Biden has been clear that sustainable peace in the region can only be achieved through a two-state solution with Israel's security guaranteed there is no other path that guarantees Israel's security and future as a democratic Jewish state there is no other path that guarantees Palestinians can live in peace and with dignity in a state of their own and there is no other path that leads to Regional integration between Israel and all its Arab neighbors including Saudi Arabia we also have long been clear that premature actions here in New York even with the best intentions will not achieve statehood for the Palestinian people as members of the security Council we have a special responsibility to ensure that our actions further the cause of International Peace and security and are consistent with the requirements of the UN Charter as reflected in the report of the admission committee there was not unanimity among committee members as to whether the applicant met the criteria for membership as set forth in article 4 of the UN Charter for example there are unresolved questions as to whether the applicant meets the criteria to be considered a state we have long called on the Palestinian Authority to undertake necessary reforms to help establish the attributes of Readiness for Statehood and note that Hamas a terrorist organization is currently exerting power and influence in Gaza an integral part of the state envisioned in this resolution for these reasons the United States voted no on this Security Council resolution again the United States continues to strongly support a two-state solution this vote does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood but instead is an acknowledgement that it will only come from direct negotiations between the parties a central focus of US policy prior to October 7 the October 7 homos terrorist attacks was to promote normalization between Israel and its Arab neighbors and as a critical element of a normalization package generate tangible benefits and a political Horizon for the Palestinian people this was based on the US judgment that normalization is the most viable Pathway to make progress on what had been an intractable situation between the Israelis and the Palestinians in the aftermath of October 7 conversations on potential normalization and a political Horizon for the Palestinians that would lead to statehood and membership at the UN have continued Hamas and its Iranian backers would probably prefer this effort not succeed but we are determined to see it through it Remains the US view that the most expeditious path towards statehood for the Palestinian people is through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority with the support of the United States and other partners we believe this approach can tangibly advance Palestinian goals in a meaningful and enduring way we also believe in light of Iran's unprecedented and outrageous actions over the last week that Israel's neighbors would stand to benefit greatly from normalization United States is committed to intensifying its engagement with the Palestinians and the rest of the region not only to address the current crisis in Gaza but to advance a political settlement that will create a path to Palestinian statehood and membership in the United Nations the United States will continue to oppose unilateral measures that undermine the prospect of a two-state solution this includes any actions that violate the principles that secretary blinkin has emphasized for months that Gaza cannot be a platform for terrorism there should be no Israeli reoccupation of Gaza and the size of gaza's territory should not be reduced as we have said before we believe a two-state solution coupled with these elements is the best way to achieve a durable peace in the region along with security for Israelis and Palestinians thank you madam president I thank the representative of the United States and pass the floor to the representative of France thank you mam president France would like to thank Algeria for proposing this resolution which it voted in favor of it is time to achieve a global political settlement of the Israeli Palestinian conflict there you have it that the decision being made there um that request not being adopted as Palestine was seeking of course to get full membership to the UN Security Council and of course uh the Americans the us uh of course having the uh decision there to to veto this move and and the reaction that you are looking at there and uh the representative from the US giving reasons why they believe that this move is not one which is beneficial saying that a two-state solution is the best way to achieve uh the desired peace and we also of course heard the reaction that came from the the the majority of those who were hoping that uh the Palestine will be granted full membership to the UN Security Council Shan I know you're still on the line having looked at what has now transpired history in any sense has been made as we listen to the reasons um that uh the colleagues are saying that the the American colleagues believe differently and the veto demonstrate what they really think of Palestinians well essentially Robert awood the alternate Ambassador for the United States essentially saying as you have very well articulated there poor that their vote their veto here is not an opposition it doesn't mean the United States opposes Palestinian statehood he said but it is an acknowledgement that it will only in their view come from those direct negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government he says the best approach is those direct negotiations and Robert a would has made this case to us before in in terms of that subsidiary body the admissions committee of the UN Security Council that met in two rounds and failed excuse me to uh reach consensus and he believed the process should have then stopped there given the fact that there was no consensus in the council about moving this process forward uh but the algerians then still moved ahead and put this draft resolution essentially a draft resolution that says uh Palestine will be uh fully admitted to the United Nations and we now you know send this uh uh this decision to the general assembly where then Palestine would have needed to to receive 2third majority and uh the breakdown of the vote in the security Council gives you a sense that they might very well have received uh 2/3 majority in the general assembly uh 12 countries out of the 15 countries in poor in the UN Security Council voting in favor the United Kingdom and Switzerland abstaining uh the United States of course vetoing but just to go through uh who's in the council China voting in favor Russia voting in favor France voting in favor those are the permanent members the UK abstaining USA vetoing then you have the non-permanent members Ecuador in favor Japan a close us Ally in favor South Korea another close us Ally in favor Algeria in favor Slovenia a European country in favor Malta in favor mosm Beque uh from the sadic region in favor Switzerland abstaining Guana from the Caribbean voting in favor and another African country Sierra Leone voting in favor so the vast majority of UN member states support Palestinian statehood uh the obstacle here are the rules of the United Nations right the fact that this one country has a veto power and can really sty block an entire process and remember so you talk about history being made uh there's also a sense of History being made with a sense of deja vu because you'll remember the Palestinians tried to receive uh their full membership back in 2011 they were then admitted as a non-member Observer state in 2012 by by the general assembly uh but they have faced opposition from the security Council in the past in fact uh that admissions committee back in 2011 could not reach consensus and the process stopped there we didn't even get a security Council vote so it does also speak to the fact that the calculus here in New York has changed uh country positions in the security Council have changed Palestine clearly has the wind at their back given the vast majority of support here the problem is the lack of Security Council reform right which is an also an ongoing process and the fact that one country with so much power can block an entire process by voting no and that is exactly what the United States has done uh this evening here in New York yeah and one country with all that power as we listen to some of the uh reasoning that came with it there um the response and the reaction to that decision what we did hear is that uh the aim of the US is to break the Palestinians and force them out of their native territory and urging the US to perhaps rethink this position well I mean this is obviously there are political ramifications on uh the Biden Administration for example voting in favor of Palestinian uh uh membership of the United Nations it will become a political football uh in the United States right no less in an election year and so uh if the Democratic administration of Joe Biden were to vote in favor of Palestinian membership uh the Republicans would be all over this in a second and so you know politics is often very domestic and so uh multilateral International efforts tend to take a back seat uh when the implications on the domestic front uh would be very acute for any decision uh that would favor Palestinian uh uh full membership of the United Nations given the opposition that exists within the United States within the Democratic party itself in in the United States and the implications of that uh for Joe Biden in an election year so uh that kind of does give you a broader understanding of why perhaps the United States made this position it's the speculation coming from your correspondent here at the United Nations and not the official position but one tends to read the tea leaves when decisions of this are handed down the the big Focus continues to be arresting and po the situation in the Gaza Strip getting more humanitarian Aid in uh and as you mentioned and correctly asked me earlier you know what's the point of referring to two states ution negotiations direct negotiations uh that are non-existent and have been non-existent for a long time and the Goodwill between the parties the building blocks for those direct negotiations simply do not exist today too many people have died on both sides here the emotions one imagines between the Israelis and the Palestinians the people in Gaza in particular the emotions are still very raw and so how do you have create building blocks so that you can get to a point where did direct negotiations between these two Waring sides these long-standing Waring parties uh you know how do you get to a situation where they will talk to each other it's difficult to talk to each other uh when you are still burying your dead when you have still you know no access to healthcare no access to food no access to predictable supplies of humanitarian Aid and these are uh the immediate questions that need to be resolved in the short term in the medium term before you then get to uh direct negotiations and so it really does undermine in sense the US argument that points to direct negotiations that are non-existent today and they're unable to provide a timeline as to when those direct negotiations might happen very well let's perhaps leave it there for now uh of course bringing us that update on a breaking International story sabc News correspondent at the UN headquarters show in Bryce peace talking to us about how the US has now vetoed a UN resolution on Palestine membership a story of course that uh continues to develop in so far as reactions are concerned across the world

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Published: Thu Apr 18 2024