UNITED NATIONS: A draft resolution demanding the recognition of an independent Palestinian state failed to get an approval in the 15-member United Nations Security Council on Tuesday.
The resolution drafted by the Palestinians and backed by Arab countries called for the recognition of an independent Palestinian state and the end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories within three years.
However, it managed to secure only eight votes in the 15-member Security Council as the United States and Australia voted against while the United Kingdom, Rwanda, Nigeria, South Korea and Lithuania abstained.
Russia, China, France, Argentina, Chad, Chile, Jordan and Luxembourg voted in favour of the resolution.
The resolution needed the support of at least nine members of the Security Council to pave the way to a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour criticized the world body for the failure of the vote.
“The Security Council has once again failed to uphold its charter duties to address this crises and to meaningfully contribute to a lasting solution in accordance with its own resolutions,” Mansour said.
“This year, our people under Israeli occupation endured the further theft and colonisation of their land, the demolition of their homes, daily military raids, arrests and detention of thousands of civilians including children, rampant settler terrorism, constant affronts to their human dignity and repeated incursions at our holiest sites,” the Palestinian envoy said.
On the other hand, the US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said that the resolution undermined efforts to “achieve two states for two people”.
“It is deeply imbalanced and contains many elements that are not conducive to negotiations between the parties including unconstructive deadlines that take no account for Israelis legitimate security concerns,” she said.
