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Palestinian Resolution Fails in Security Council; US Veto Not Needed to Kill “One-Sided” Bill


Against the advice of the American administration and other voices, the Palestinians presented their controversial UN Security Council resolution calling for and end to the Israeli presence in areas it conquered in 1967 by 2017 and came up short. The tally “in-favor” of only 8 out of 15 Security Council members relieved the United States of having to follow-through on its threat to veto the measure. The final vote was 8 in-favor; 2 opposed; and 5 abstentions. On Tuesday, envoys from Arab nations said they believed the requisite 9 vote majority was in-hand, in which case the American veto would have been required to prevent passage of the resolution. But Nigeria is the country believed to have changed from “yea” to “abstain” at the urging of the US and Israel. US Secretary of State John Kerry had counseled the Palestinians to wait until after Israel’s elections are held in March lest incumbent Binyamin Netanyahu be strengthened by the exercise; and others suggested that after the first of the year the rotation of temporary Security Council members would be more in-favor of the Palestinian position with the addition of Malaysia. But with support from the Arab League, the Palestinians pushed forward. Following the vote, both US and British representatives said the resolution was “one-sided” and failed to address Israel’s security needs, but Ambassador Samantha Power held out an olive branch to the Palestinians by formulating the American vision with a reference to 1967 borders. What happens next remains to be seen following a number of threats made by Palestinian officials. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas warned that the PA would sever ties with Israel if the resolution failed; and others reiterated that the push for Palestinian membership in UN bodies and treaties would continue with the International Criminal Court being the next one targeted in order to initiate many suits against Israel and Israelis.