Press. voanews.com
The Trump administration
wielded its first U.N. veto Monday, blocking a Security Council resolution that
rejected the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and
move its embassy there. “The United States will not be told by any country
where we can put our embassy,” Ambassador Nikki Haley told council members.
The U.S. was
isolated in the vote, with the other 14 members voting in favor of the text. The
draft resolution did not specifically mention the U.S. announcement, but noted
its “deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem.” It
also said, “Any decision and actions which purport to have altered the
character, status, or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem
have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded."
Haley noted that
it is the first time in more than six years that the United States has used its
veto. “We do it with no joy, but we do it with no reluctance,” she said. “The
fact that this veto is being done in defense of U.S. sovereignty and role in
the Middle East peace process is not a source of embarrassment to us; it should
be to the remainder of the Security Council.”
She said
President Donald Trump’s decision does not contradict existing Security Council
resolutions, which constitute international law and date back decades. Haley
emphasized that the administration supports the status quo of the city’s holy
sites and will support a two-state solution if that is what the parties want.
“It is highly
regrettable that some are trying to distort the president’s position to serve
their own agendas,” Haley said. She added that the U.S. had the “courage and
honesty to recognize a fundamental reality” – that Jerusalem is the capital and
seat of the modern Israeli government.
The text, put
forward by council member Egypt, sought to reaffirm earlier resolutions that
conveyed a special status on the city, which is holy to Jews, Muslims and
Christians, and leaves it as a final status issue to be resolved through
negotiations.
Egyptian
Ambassador Amr Aboulatta, whose delegation drafted the text, warned of
repercussions of the U.S. decision and declared that the move would have no
legal effect on Jerusalem’s final status.
“Al Quds is one
of the final status issues, which must be settled through peaceful negotiations
between the Palestinians and Israelis,” Aboulatta said, referring to Jerusalem
by its Arabic name. “Any attempt at changing the facts on the ground in
Jerusalem is considered one of the illegal, unilateral measures that will have
no legal impact whatsoever, since it comes in violation of international law,”
he added.
“Because of its
unmatched symbolic and emotional dimension, Jerusalem is the key to peace
between Israelis and Palestinians,” French Ambassador François Delattre told
reporters. “Without an agreement on Jerusalem, there will be no peace accord.
This is why an agreement on Jerusalem can only be decided by the parties
themselves, with the support of the community of nations, and not by the
unilateral decision of a third country that would bring us back one century
ago,” he added.
While Britain’s
envoy reiterated his government’s disagreement with the Trump administration’s
decision, he said the U.S. would still continue to play an extremely important
role in the search for peace. “We commend
President Trump for his efforts and energy in that direction, and we call on
the U.S. administration to put forward concrete details, proposals, as soon as
possible to take that process forward,” Ambassador Matthew Rycroft told
reporters.
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