US Veto a Sign of Moral Bankruptcy, Says PLO Official

Ramallah, MINA — PLO Executive Committee Member Hanan Ashrawi Saturday condemned the US veto of a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution calling for the provision of international protection to the Palestinian people as a “sign of moral bankruptcy.”, WAFA reported.

Ashrawi expressed in a press statement her “appreciation to the UN Security Council Members who respected their legal and moral obligations and voted in favor of the UNSC resolution which called for the protection of the Palestinian people and accountability for Israel’s violations.”

The UNSC voted Friday on a Kuwait-drafted resolution calling for setting up an international protection for the Palestinian people following the killing of dozens of peaceful Palestinian protestors by Israeli forces in Gaza.

Out of the council’s 15 members, 10 voted in favor, including France, and only the US voted against. There were four abstentions including Britain.

The US circulated its own draft resolution blaming Hamas for the violence while mentioning Israel’s right to defend itself. That draft also was brought to a vote on Friday, but only the US voted in favor of it while there were three negative votes and 10 abstentions.

“By postponing the vote and presenting their own ‘alternative’ resolution that is a total falsehood and a distortion of reality, the United States and its Ambassador Nikki Haley have once again demonstrated their blind loyalty to Israel and tried to absolve it of any wrongdoing despite its egregious violations, deliberate massacres and willful killings and war crimes,” the statement added.

“With its veto, the United States is once again attempting to justify the lawlessness and cruelty of Israel’s military occupation, while providing Israel with legal and political cover to pursue its assault on the Palestinian people and on international law and international humanitarian law. This, in fact, is a morally bankrupt policy and another blow to the credibility and integrity of the international community as represented by the UN.”

Ashrawi regretted that some countries gave in to the US pressure and abstained from voting in favor of the resolution.

“It is regrettable that the UK, Poland, the Netherlands, and Ethiopia succumbed to American pressure and abstained on such a basic and justified resolution that lies at the heart of the mandate and responsibilities of the UN.”

“It is thus of particular urgency that the international community act quickly to prevent further violence against innocent civilians and end the occupation that deliberately targets the Palestinians,” she said.

“It is the responsibility of the world to provide protection for the people of Palestine and not to find excuses for the occupation and the aggressor; this is where the international community is facing its real test,” she concluded. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)