Palestinian resolution defeated in UN Security Council vote
Agence France Presse/Dec. 31, 2014
UNITED NATIONS, United States: The UN Security Council failed Tuesday to adopt a resolution on Palestinian statehood by a vote of eight to two, with five abstentions.
France, China and Russia were among the countries that supported the text setting a 12-month deadline for negotiations on a final peace deal with Israel.
Australia and the United States voted against
Security Council quashes Palestine statehood bid
The Daily Star/Dec. 31, 2014
BEIRUT: The U.N. Security Council Tuesday rejected Palestine’s bid for statehood as permanent member U.S. voted “no,” in a move likely to enrage Arab allies.
The resolution secured eight “yes” votes on the 15-member council, one fewer than was required for passage, as the U.S. rejected what it called an unhelpful attempt to impose a two-year deadline on peace talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
France, Russia and China voted “yes” while the U.K. and four other countries abstained. Australia joined the U.S. in voting “no.”
Washington’s Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power said the draft would “undermine efforts” underway at a two-state solution, although the latest bid at peacemaking collapsed in April.
She said the draft served the interest of only one side to the conflict, namely the Palestinians, while ignoring Israel’s “legitimate security concerns.”
“This resolution sets the stage for more confrontation, not more compromise,” she said.
The vote capped a three-month campaign by the Palestinians at the U.N. to win support for a resolution that sets a timeframe for ending the Israeli occupation.
The resolution called for a full Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian territories to be completed no later than the end of 2017.
Earlier Monday, the Palestinians presented changes to the text, toughening up language on East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state and demanding an end to Jewish settlement building.
