US Faces Isolation on Security Council Over Settlements

A surge in settler violence and increased construction and plans for Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem have again placed the Obama administration in a tough spot at the UN Security Council, where some of its closest allies Tuesday strongly condemned recent Israeli policies and settlement activities.

While American officials have repeatedly said they oppose Israeli settlement expansion as illegitimate and counter-productive to the peace process, the US administration used its first and only Security Council veto back in February to oppose a resolution condemning Israeli settlement expansion in a 14-1 vote. 

US support for Israel is a sensitive political issue for this administration.Republican opponents have already criticized the White House for its strained relationship with the Netanyahu government, and less than a year away from an election, the administration likely won’t change its position, should the issue once again come before the Security Council as was suggested by some countries Tuesday. 

Calls for Security Council involvement in the conflict come at a time when the US is trying to convince other Council members to support resolutions and sanctions targeting the regimes in Syria and Iran. A US veto to block another lopsided vote against settlements could further damage American standing in the Arab world and hurt administration’s efforts at the United Nations.

In a briefing on the latest developments Tuesday, UN assistant secretary-general for political affairs, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco called Israeli actions a violation of its obligations under the international community’s roadmap for peace.

Taranco said there had been an alarming increase in settlement construction in East Jerusalem, the cities of Shilo, Efrat and Beitar Illit and that after a long period of restraint, Israeli authorities had resumed in December the demolition of Palestinian residential structure in Jerusalem.

Taranco also briefed the Council members on renewed reports of settler violence, which he says have become a systematic occurrence and often take place in the context of anticipated government action against illegal settlement construction. He said that over the past month, mosques in the West Bank, Hebron, West Jerusalem and near Ramallah have been fire bombed and desecrated and that six Palestinians including two children had been injured in other attacks by settlers.

Security Council diplomats issued statements on behalf of larger diplomatic groups and individually after the briefing,  with IBSA ( India, Brazil, South Africa), the Non Aligned Movement (Group of 120 countries) ,  the four European Council members ( France, UK, Portugal, Germany) as well as Russia, each condemning the surge in settler construction and violence against Palestinian civilians. 

 The American delegation at the United Nations did not issue a statement.. 

Speaking on behalf on the four European Council members, British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said France, Portugal, Germany and the UK where “dismayed” by the negative developments on the ground, which he said had a devastating effect on the peace process. Lyall Grant urged the Israeli government to reverse course on settlement activity, including in East Jerusalem.

“We believe that Israel’s security and the realization of the Palestinians right to statehood  are not opposing goals. On the contrary, they are mutually reinforcing objectives but they will not be achieved while settlement building and settler violence continues.”

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Moscow was also increasingly concerned and frustrated by recent developments, which he said clearly raised human right concerns but also put in question the feasibility of the two state solution. 

“If you look at the map, you start wondering how, even theoretically, two states can be set up in Gaza and West Bank given this new reality.”

Churkin said his country would favor the Security Council using its leverage on the issue of settlements in hopes to encourage real negotiations.

“You can hear people these days say in other contexts: “The international community must act, the security council must act.” he said. “ Why doesn’t it apply to the Israeli-Palestinian track of our diplomatic and political effort? We think it can be done in a way which is not harming Israeli security and interests at all.”

Russia has of late been sharply criticized by US and European governments for blocking a Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on the Syrian government for its crackdown against protesters, although last week Moscow proposed its own draft resolution on Syria which has since been welcomed by European diplomats as a good starting point for negotiations.

Churkin said Israel’s large political coalition make any discussions about possible concessions a complicated for the Israeli government, and that the country’s leadership may need a “gentle prod” from the international community or Security Council to uphold its international obligations.

Both the NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) and IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) statements called on Council members to speak out against violations of international law and uphold Security Council resolutions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

 Brazilian Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti said ending settlement expansion wasn’t a concession “but an obligation as per various resolution per international law”.

 The Brazilian Ambassador said Security Council involvement was required to settle the conflict.

 “The IBSA countries believe the Security Council has an irreplaceable role to play in the peace process, mainly by condemning violence and calling for a complete halt to settlement activity, calling for the implementation of its own resolutions..”

In his report today assistant secretary-general for political affairs Taranco, also detailed the deteriorating security situation in Gaza and Southern Israel. 

Taranco said Israeli forces carried out 13 airstrikes and 9 incursions in Gaza over the past month, resulting in the death of eight Palestinian militants and injuring 24 civilians. 

He said Palestinian militants responded by firing 45 projectiles into Israel after one of the IDF strikes killed two Islamic jihad militants and injured 10 civilians. Israeli officials say the two Jihadist were preparing an attack. He said there was no reported injuries or damage in Israel from the rocket fire from Gaza.

 In the West Bank IDF forces carried out 237 operations,154 civilians injured including 6 children. The operations also resulted in the arrest of over 200 people.

US to Council Members: Abstain on Palestine Bid

 The United States is pushing hard to avoid a showdown next Friday in New York, where the Security Council is scheduled to announce a decision on Palestine’s application for full UN membership.

Although the United States has repeatedly said it would block any attempt to pass the resolution, the Obama administration wants to avoid using its veto and is asking other Council members to abstain from voting. A US veto of the Palestinian bid would be a significant blow to US standing in the Arab world.

Obama reportedly sent Bosnia Herzegovina leaders a letter this week asking them not to support the Palestinian request.

Palestinian leaders would need at least 9 votes in favor of the resolution from the Council’s 15 members to force a US veto. China, Russia, Lebanon, Brazil, India and South Africa have all said they would support Palestinian membership.

A UN diplomat has told the BBC that France, Colombia and the United Kingdom have already let the Security Council know they would abstain from voting, while Germany has indicated it would not support the Palestinian request, without saying if it would abstain or vote no.

The US would need two of the remaining four members; Bosnia,Portugal, Nigeria and Gabon, to abstain or vote no in order to avoid having to use its veto.

On Monday UN member states overwhelmingly voted to accept Palestine into UNESCO, forcing the US to cut off all of its funding to the organization. Current American law calls for the defunding of any UN organization that  accepts Palestine in its membership.

 Israel has responded to Palestine ascension to UNESCO by announcing it would speed up settlement construction in the West Bank and Jerusalem and stop payment of of the tax revenue it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.

The Palestinian  envoy at the United Nations Riyad Mansour condemned Israel’s response and said he would ask the Security Council to intervene. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and officials at the US state department have both said they are concerned by Israel’s decisions.

The Obama administration used its first and so far only veto at the Security Council in February, when it was the lone Council member to oppose a resolution condemning Israeli settlement construction.

Libya Could Ask NATO To End Mission By Next Week

The new government of Libya might ask the UN Security Council to put an end to NATO’s enforcement of a no fly zone as early as next week, says Libyan ambassador to the United Nations Ibrahim Dabbashi.

Dabbashi told the UN Security Council today that while the National Transitional Council continues to evaluate Libya’s security situation, he expects the new government to make a formal announcement regarding NATO’s mission before the end of the month.

“The Libyan people is looking forward to termination of the no fly zone over Libya as well as terminating the mandate accorded by Security Council resolution 1973 to protect civilians as soon as possible. In accordance with the initial assessments, October 31 is a logical date to terminate this mandate.” he said.

One of the first Libyan diplomats to denounce the Gaddafi regime crackdown against protests earlier this year, Dabbashi was instrumental in getting the Security Council to back military action in Libya.
Today, the Libyan Ambassador thanked Council members for their “indispensable” support in enforcing the no fly zone and protecting civilians, but said that now that the NTC has declared “liberation”, prolonging NATO’s mission would undermine Libyan sovereignty.

“Our people by nature hate any interference in its sovereignty.” he told the Council. “Everyday that passes with the foreign sovereignty over our space is a derogation of our sovereignty. This is particularly so after the declaration of liberation made on the 23rd of this month.”

The NTC declaration of liberation is meant to mark the beginning of  Libya’s political transition and Dabbashi says he expects an interim government would be set up in the next two weeks.

The Libyan Ambassador also said there would be a transparent investigation of the circumstances surrounding Gaddafi’s death and any other possible human rights abuse allegations against rebel forces.

Last week, UN human rights officials said there should be an investigation into the Libyan strongman’s death after several video’s showed him being captured alive by rebel fighters.

Dabbashi said that initial reports confirmed Gaddafi had died from wounds sustained in a firefight between regime loyalists and rebels, and had not been shot after being detained by NTC forces.

China, Russia Block UN Resolution on Syria

After months of negotiations, UN Security Council members tonight failed to agree on a resolution condemning the Syrian government’s violent response to protests, with permanent members China and Russia using their veto to scrap the Western backed text. 

US Ambassador Susan Rice told Security Council members the Obama administration was outraged by the Council’s failure to address an “urgent moral challenge” and “a growing threat to regional peace and security”.

Nine Council members, including the US, France, UK, Portugal and Germany, voted in favor of the draft, while Lebanon, India, South Africa and Brazil chose to abstain.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told Council members his country’s decision to veto the proposed resolution wasn’t based on Russia’s strategic ties to the Syrian government or support of the crackdown against civilian protesters, but was instead a rejection of the West’s “philosophy of confrontation”.

 “We can’t agree with this unilateral accusatory bent against Damascus. We believe it unacceptable the threat of an ultimatum of sanctions against the Syrian authorities.” he said

Churkin also said Western countries had failed to take into account Moscow’s demand that foreign military intervention be clearly ruled out of the resolution.

Russia and several other Council members have criticized the NATO backed mission to Libya for exceeding its mandate of civilian protection by targeting non-military infrastructure and trying to overthrow the Gaddafi regime. 

“The situation in Syria cannot be considered in the Council apart from the Libyan experience. The international community is alarmed by statements that compliance with Security Council resolutions in Libya, in the NATO interpretation, is a model for future actions for NATO in implementing responsibility to protect.”  Churkin told Council members.

US Ambassador Rice said the Syrian people could now see which countries were ignoring their calls for democracy and siding with dictators.

“Those who oppose this resolution and give cover to a brutal regime will have to answer to the Syrian people and indeed to people across the region who are pursuing the same universal aspirations.” 

Rice also dismissed Russia’s claims about NATO’s  interpretation of the Libyan resolution and that the vetoed resolution could have been a pretext for military intervention in Syria.

“This is not about military intervention. This is not about Libya. That is a cheap ruse by those who would rather sell arms to the Syrian regime than stand with the Syrian people.”

Palestinian Request for UN Membership Starts Long Process

Just a week after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas presented his bid for full membership in the United Nations, a committee of the Security Council met Friday to consider the request.

The committee on the admission of Palestine, made up of all 15 members of the Security Council, agreed to meet again next week at the expert level to discuss the technical details of the application. It is expected to report back to the Council on its work in two weeks.

Palestine’s envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour told reporters afterwards the Council had established the legal arguments for Palestine’s membership and that he now expected the process to move forwards without delay.

“We hope that the experts will deal with the application in a short period of time so that the next President of the Security Council, Nigeria next month, will be able to report to the Security Council about the work of the committee of experts.”