US Blocks UNSC Condemnation of Jerusalem Home Demolitions

The United States has blocked an attempt by Kuwait, Indonesia and South Africa to have the United Nations Security Council condemn Israel’s demolition of Palestinian homes on the outskirts of Jerusalem. The three countries circulated a draft contending that the demolitions “undermine the viability of the two-state solution and the prospect for a just and lasting peace.” For its part, Israel contended that the 10 apartment buildings destroyed on Monday – which so far housed only 17 Palestinians – were constructed illegally and posed a threat to security forces operating along the barrier that extends nearly 450 miles through the West Bank. The demolition of the structures is just the latest incident in the protracted conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, who claim the eastern part of Jerusalem as their future capital. The Jewish state united the holy city during the 1967 war and officially annexed the areas previously held by Jordan. Meanwhile, Jason Greenblatt, US President Donald Trump’s chief peace negotiator, on Tuesday told the Security Council that the White House did not expect its two-plus-years-in-the-making peace plan to be universally well received, also saying that it would not necessarily adhere to subjective international law and “unclear” UN resolutions. He added that a decision on when to release the long-awaited political elements of the proposal – such as the delineation of borders and the fate of Palestinian refugees – would be made “soon.”