U.S. VETOES DRAFT RESOLUTION ON ISRAEL ACTION IN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 002146 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC SUBJECT: U.S. VETOES DRAFT RESOLUTION ON ISRAEL ACTION IN GAZA ¶1. The U.S. November 11 cast a no vote to veto an unbalanced Qatari-sponsored resolution on the situation in the Middle East, and specifically on casualties that resulted from a November 8 Israeli military operation shelling of Beit Hanoun in Gaza. The final vote was 10-1(U.S.)-4(UK, Denmark, Slovakia and Japan). Ambassador Bolton's Statement -------------- ¶2. Ambassador Bolton delivered the U.S. explanation of vote (EOV): Begin Statement: Thank you, Mr. President. This resolution does not display an even-handed characterization of the recent events in Gaza, nor does it advance the cause of Israeli-Palestinian peace to which we aspire and for which we are working assiduously. We join our fellow Council members in deeply regretting the injuries and loss of life on November 8 in and around Beit Hanun. We note the Israeli government has conducted an investigation and has announced its intent to suspend all artillery fire into Gaza as a result. We hope it will be completed quickly and that appropriate steps will be taken to avoid a repetition of this tragedy. First, we are disturbed at language in the resolution that is, in many places, biased against Israel and politically motivated. Such language does not further the cause of peace, and its unacceptability to the United States in previous resolutions, well-known. Secondly, it remains an unbalanced text. Among many such examples are the following: the preambular text equates Israeli military operations, which are legal, with firing of rockets into Israel, which are acts of terrorism. Moreover, its characterization of Israeli military actions as "excessive and disproportionate" constitutes a legal judgment that the Security Council would be ill-advised to make. Third, the proposed resolution calls for the establishment of a fact-finding mission which is, at this point, unnecessary and will do nothing to improve the situation on the ground. The resolution further promises to consider the establishment of an "international mechanism for protection of the (Palestinian) civilian population" -- a promise which is unwise and unnecessary and, at any rate, raises false hopes. At the same time, we are disturbed that there is not a single reference to terrorism in the proposed resolution, nor any condemnation of the Hamas leadership's statement that Palestinians should resume terror attacks on a broad scale, or calls by the military wing of Hamas to Muslims worldwide to strike American targets and interests. More terror, whether directed at Israel or the United States or the European Union Office in Gaza City is not the solution, nor will it enable the Palestinian people to achieve their aspirations. It is the responsibility of any Palestinian Authority government to prevent terror and take the necessary steps to stop attacks and dismantle the terrorist infrastructure. Hamas has failed utterly in this regard by continuing to play a role in perpetuating the instability and violence. The Palestinian people deserve leaders who are prepared to renounce terror, accept the Quartet principles, and become a legitimate partner in peace. The United States remains committed to supporting a negotiated solution between Israelis and Palestinians. The Road Map and the principles contained therein remain the only agreed international basis upon which to move forward towards the two-state goal. We call upon all members of the international community to support the Road Map unequivocally. To that end the United States will vote no on this resolution. Other EOVs: UK, Slovakia, Denmark, Japan, Congo, Qatar -------------- -------------- ¶3. The four countries that abstained -- UK, Slovakia, Denmark, and Japan -- all said they had done so either because the final text remained, after several negotiations, unbalanced and/or did not reflect the complexity of the situation on the ground. Congo, which voted for the resolution, regretted the Security Council's failure to pass a resolution on the "crimes" that had occurred. Qatar, which sponsored the resolution, said that the resolution, which had the support of the majority, had failed to pass for USUN NEW Y 00002146 002 OF 002 well-known reasons. Qatar said it had done its job in producing a balanced product and that its failure would call into question the credibility of the Security Council. Palestinian Statement -------------- ¶4. Invited to participate in the meeting, Palestinian Permanent Observer Riyad Mansour said the Security Council's rejection of the resolution had sent two wrong messages: for Israel, that they can continue to behave above international law; for the Palestinian people, that justice is not being dealt with in the proper way. He said that the U.S. veto would push extremists on both sides to take matters into their own hands. He concluded his remarks by saying that, on the second anniversary of Yasser Arafat's death, Palestinians would never lose faith in the principles enshrined in the UN Charter and that "we will continue to come to the Security Council and other bodies of the UN system until justice prevails." BOLTON