US Vetoes UNSC Resolution Rejecting Trump’s al-Quds Decision

The United States has been further isolated after it vetoed a UN Security Council’s resolution calling for the annulment of US President Donald Trump’s controversial bid to recognize al-Quds as Israel’s capital.

Fourteen members of the 15-member council voted on Monday in favor of the Egyptian-drafted resolution, which did not specifically name the US or Trump but expressed “deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem” al-Quds, while US Ambassador Nikki Haley wielded Washington’s veto against the call, according to Press TV.

“What we witnessed here in the Security Council is an insult. It won’t be forgotten. We do it [the veto] with no joy, but we do it with no reluctance,” said Haley after casting the US veto.

  “The fact that this veto is being done in defense of American sovereignty and in defense of America’s role in the Middle East peace process is not a source of embarrassment for us; it should be an embarrassment to the remainder of the Security Council,” She further said after the vote.

Washington’s key allies the UK, Italy, France, Ukraine and Japan were all among the 14 countries that voted in favor of the measure, which asserted that “any decisions and actions, which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem [al-Quds] have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council.”

Palestinians slam US veto of UN resolution on al-Quds

In a statement released shortly after the UNSC vote, the Palestinian government strongly denounced as “unacceptable” the American veto, saying the highly provocative move “threatens the stability of the international community because it disrespects it.”

Speaking to reporters, Nabil Abu Rudeina, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said the US veto of the UN resolution was “unacceptable and threatens the stability of the international community, because it disrespects it.”

Abu Rudeina said the support for the resolution, which included US allies France, Italy and Japan, “showed the (American) isolation,” adding, “The international community must work now to protect the Palestinian people.”

On December 6, Trump announced his decision to recognize al-Quds as Israel’s capital and relocate the US embassy in occupied lands from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds.

The dramatic shift in Washington’s policy vis-à-vis the city triggered demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco and other Muslim countries.

On December 10, violent clashes erupted outside the US embassy in the Lebanese capital Beirut during a protest against the US decision. Demonstrators burnt tires as well as the US and Israeli flags as they pushed to break through a barbed wire erected by security forces around the embassy complex. Security forces used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the angry protesters.

Iran condemns US veto of UNSC resolution rejecting Trump’s al-Quds move

Iran, through its ambassador to the United Nations Gholamali Khoshroo condemned the US veto, stressing that it was proof that the US is a main supporter of the Tel Aviv regime’s occupation and aggression.

“The US wishes to remove solving Palestine’s problems from the UN’s agenda by twisting reality and misleading public opinion,” he said.

He added that it was also another example of Washington’s hostility towards Muslims and the free world.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi also censured the veto, noting that it was aimed at cracking down on Palestinians’ rights and goes against regional peace and security.

“With its unwise and provocative move of officially recognizing Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital, the US showed its lack of adherence to international resolutions,” he said.

Iran “severely condemns” this move and calls on the international community to halt its execution in order to calm regional tensions, he added.

The US’ veto of the resolution showed that it is violating the legitimate rights of all Palestinians, Qassemi added.

Meanwhile,  the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement voicing itsshock over Washington’s reaction, saying the US had “lost objectivity” and it was unacceptable for the UN Security Council to be left “ineffective” with such a measure.

Russia ready to become ‘mediator’ in Israeli-Palestinian peace process – Russian envoy to UN

Moscow is ready to become a new mediator in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Russian deputy UN envoy Vladimir Safronkov said. He also added that Russia is ready to host direct talks between the two sides, according to RT.

Russia is ready to become “an honest mediator” in the Middle Eastern peace process, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said at the UN Security Council meeting, after a resolution on al-Quds demanding the US decision recognizing it as the Israeli capital be withdrawn was vetoed by Washington.

The Russian representative called on all parties to “show restraint” and refrain from any provocative actions. He also said that any unilateral action could exacerbate the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians, making the already complicated peace process even more difficult.

The French envoy to the UN said in his speech that the US still “should explain compatibility of its decision with the international consensus.” He also added that France “regrets” the outcome of the vote that has become a symbol of 14 UNSC members’ willingness to “confirm their attachment to the international law.”

H.M