U.S. vetoes U.N. resolution condemning Israel

Recipe for more violence?
Qatar’s U.N. Ambassador Nassir Al-Nasser warned in the Security Council meeting that the failure of the body to act on the draft would lead to more Israeli violence against Palestinians.

“Any lukewarm reaction or response on our part gives the impression we are shirking from our humanitarian responsibilities,” said Al-Nasser, who sponsored the resolution on behalf of the Palestinians. Qatar is the only Arab nation on the council.

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said the veto “will only increase the anger” toward Israel, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit accused the Security Council of “turning a blind eye to Israeli acts in Gaza.”

The Arab League was planning to hold an emergency meeting of foreign ministers in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday to decide how to respond the latest Israeli offensive.

Proposed language softened
The draft resolution had been weakened slightly in recent days to help improve its chances of passage. A section was added demanding the Palestinian Authority take immediate action to bring an end to violence, including the firing of rockets into Israel.

It also called for the U.N. secretary-general to establish a “fact-finding mission” to probe Wednesday’s attack in Beit Hanoun, a step below ordering a full investigation.

In addition, it backed off calls for U.N. observers to be placed on the Gaza-Israel border, asking instead for the “possible establishment of an international mechanism for protection of the civilian populations.”

In his remarks to the Security Council, Bolton said the draft was still too one-sided. He said it compared legal Israeli military operations with the firing of rockets into Israel — an act of terrorism. He called the fact-finding mission unnecessary and said the text failed to condemn the ruling Hamas party’s refusal to renounce terrorism.

Both Bolton and Deputy British Ambassador Karen Pierce voiced support for returning to the internationally backed “road map” peace plan, which has been stalled for years.

But Michael O’Hanlon, a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, said the fact that the council allowed the draft to go to a vote showed the world’s frustration with the U.S. not involving other members of the so-called Quartet of Mideast mediators in recent decisions on Israel. The other members are the U.N., the European Union and Russia.

“They don’t have a stake in the talks and they are more willing now to force our hand,” he said. “A lot of times the world has felt (the U.S.) has been too pro-Israel, but in this case, people are just fed up.”

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