Palestine
In 1976,
the US vetoed a resolution calling on Israel to withdraw from all Palestinian territory – in this case, the UK, Sweden and Italy abstained.
A draft text presented
by Tunisia in 1980 stressed the “inalienable rights of the Palestinian people”. The US voted against the draft text; the UK, France, Norway and Portugal abstained.
Resolutions condemning Israeli settlements were
blocked only by the US in 1983,
1997 and
2011.
And in 2004 and 2006, the US refused to call on Israel to halt wars against Gaza, which together killed hundreds of civilians.
Obama’s last stand
But in late 2016, following the election of Donald Trump but before he took office, the US abstained from a vote on Israeli settlements.
It was the
first time in four decades that a UN resolution condemning Israel had passed.
This was despite the US using its veto against a similar vote in 2011, and the only time the administration of Barack Obama had wielded its veto during his presidency.
US abstains as UN Security Council passes resolution against Israeli settlements
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Citing the lack of any visible progress in terms of the peace process, US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power
said that: “One cannot simultaneously champion expanding Israeli settlements and champion a viable two-state solution that would end the conflict. One had to make a choice between settlements and separation.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was a “shameful” move by the US.
The Palestinian leadership
has now said it may turn to the UN General Assembly if Washington vetoes the draft UN Security Council resolution, where support among member countries for Palestine has been strong for many years.
