"Shameful and disgraceful": Ashrawi on UN Palestine vote

Hanan Ashrawi

PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi on Wednesday condemned the UN Security Council vote against a bid to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine as "outrageously shameful."

"It is ironic that while the United Nations designated 2014 as the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the resolution failed to pass as an indication of a failure of will by some members of the international community," she said in a statement.

"Furthermore, all the articles of the resolution are consistent with declared American policy, international law, UN resolutions, and the requirements of peace. The extent to which the US has gone to protect Israeli impunity and lawlessness and to enable its criminal behavior is disgraceful and dangerous."

Ashrawi's statement came as Palestinian leaders reacted to news that the UN Security Council had failed to pass a bill calling for peace within a year and a 2017 deadline to end the Israeli occupation.

While Hamas denounced the bid altogether as a failed stunt, PA leaders focused their anger on those states which failed to support the bid.

"Those countries (Lithuania, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Korea, and the UK) that abstained demonstrated a lack of political will to hold Israel accountable and to act in accordance with the global rule of law and international humanitarian law and their own avowed principles," Ashrawi said in her statement.

Many had expected that the resolution would come close to passing but would be blocked by a US veto. But the large number of abstentions meant that the US did not even have to exercise its veto to kill the bill.

"We extend our gratitude and appreciation to all the countries, in particular France and Luxembourg, that upheld their principles and voted in favor of the resolution," Ashrawi said.

"We strongly urge all governments worldwide to officially recognize an independent Palestine on 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital and to support our multilateral efforts of resorting to all international venues to seek the protection and empowerment of Palestine and accountability for Israel."

"This is the inevitable next step given such an abysmal failure of will on the part of some members of the international community and the collusion with Israel by others," she added.