In a blatant demonstration of the
undemocratic nature of the United Nations, the United States vetoed a Security Council resolution
Feb. 18 that would have condemned Israeli settlements as illegal and halted
further settlement construction. The resolution was backed by the Palestine
Liberation Organization and supported by all of the other 14 Security Council
members.
The Obama administration attempted to
pressure the Palestinian Authority into dropping the resolution, but the PA
remained insistent.
The United States refused to abstain from the
vote. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, stated that in the view of
the United States, the United Nations is not the place to resolve the issue of settlements, and
urged a solution through negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians.
The Palestinian people realize that 17
years of negotiations with Israel have not worked in their favor, and the U.S.
veto only encourages Israel in its illegal settlement expansion and other acts
of oppression.
