The United Nations Security Council just voted against a controversial Palestinian Authority proposal, introduced by Jordan, requiring Israel to pull back to the 1967 lines (the 1949 Armistice line), including designating all of East Jerusalem (which includes the ancient Jewish Quarter of the Old City).
The vote failed to get sufficient votes to force a U.S. veto.
The UN Security Council has rejected a Palestinian resolution calling for peace with Israel within a year and an end to Israel’s occupation by 2017.The resolution failed to muster the minimum nine “yes” votes required in the council for adoption.It received eight “yes” votes, two “no” votes from the United States and Australia, and five abstentions, from the UK, Lithuania, Nigeria, South Korea and Rwanda.The US, Israel’s closest ally, had reiterated its opposition to the draft resolution earlier on Tuesday.Washington said it could not support the draft because it was not constructive and failed to address Israel’s security needs.
The Times of Israel adds that the result surprised the Palestinians:
According to Israeli media, the deciding votes were those of Nigeria and Rwanda, which had intended to give a ‘yes’ but decided to abstain at the last minute, leaving the Palestinian Authority one vote short of the required nine.The other three abstentions were those of the UK, Lithuania and South Korea.The Ynet News site noted that Israeli diplomats were disappointed with France, which supported the resolution despite its objections to its wording and its failed attempt to bring through a much more moderate version.The Palestinians had claimed Tuesday that they had the nine votes needed to pass the latest version of the statehood resolution they presented to the UN Security Council.
Read more: Palestinian statehood resolution fails at UN with 8 of 15 votes | The Times of Israel http://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-statehood-resolution-defeated-at-un-security-council/#ixzz3NQQdIAra
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