- News>
- World
Palestinians slam US over UN vote on Jerusalem
Gaza City, Dec 04: The Palestinians today lashed out at the overnight US vote against a UN General Assembly resolution condemning the annexation of East Jerusalem by Israel.
Gaza City, Dec 04: The Palestinians today lashed out at the overnight US vote against a UN General Assembly resolution condemning the annexation of East Jerusalem by
Israel.
"The US vote is a worrying indication of the extent of the alliance between (US President George W) Bush and (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon," top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told a news agency. During a ritual UN General Assembly vote on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the United States for the first time voted against a resolution saying Israel's basic law -- which proclaimed Jerusalem as the eternal and indivisible capital of the Jewish state -- is "illegal and therefore null and void and has no validity whatsoever." "The United States has decided to directly support Israel state terror, war crimes, occupation and settlements, at the expense of justice and rights," Erakat said.
"This vote comes at a time when the roadmap for peace in the Middle East is being discussed and after the United States downgraded the PLO representation in Washington," he added. On Monday, Bush temporarily downgraded and then reinstated the status of the Palestine Liberation Organization's office in the United States, in a symbolic gesture to increase the pressure on Yasser Arafat's Palestinian authority.
The roadmap for peace in the region drafted by the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia is due to be finalised during a meeting of the quartet of diplomatic players on December 20.
Bureau Report
"The US vote is a worrying indication of the extent of the alliance between (US President George W) Bush and (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon," top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told a news agency. During a ritual UN General Assembly vote on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the United States for the first time voted against a resolution saying Israel's basic law -- which proclaimed Jerusalem as the eternal and indivisible capital of the Jewish state -- is "illegal and therefore null and void and has no validity whatsoever." "The United States has decided to directly support Israel state terror, war crimes, occupation and settlements, at the expense of justice and rights," Erakat said.
"This vote comes at a time when the roadmap for peace in the Middle East is being discussed and after the United States downgraded the PLO representation in Washington," he added. On Monday, Bush temporarily downgraded and then reinstated the status of the Palestine Liberation Organization's office in the United States, in a symbolic gesture to increase the pressure on Yasser Arafat's Palestinian authority.
The roadmap for peace in the region drafted by the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia is due to be finalised during a meeting of the quartet of diplomatic players on December 20.
Bureau Report