US urged not to veto anti-Israeli draft

Protected by Tel Aviv's US-equipped army, Israeli settlers terrorize, harass and murder Palestinians on a daily basis without fear of punishment. (File photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/164372.html

Thousands of US citizens, American groups and organizations have called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to pass a resolution against Israeli war crimes in Palestine.

The move comes as the UNSC prepares to debate a resolution on illegal Israeli settlement activities in the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem).

The draft Security Council resolution reaffirms that Israel's settlements "are illegal and constitute a major obstacle to the achievement of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace" in the Middle East.

However, the administration of US President Barak Obama has threatened to use its veto power to once again protect Israel from abiding by international law.

"New York is not the place to resolve the longstanding conflict and outstanding issues between the Israelis and the Palestinians," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had said in January, in a statement which almost certainly affirms Obama's plan to veto the vote.

On Wednesday, political activist Richard Grave, told IRNA that America's credibility in the world is threatened by its constant protection of Israel.

In a petition, launched by the US Campaign to End Israeli Occupation, the signatories warned that a veto would only damage Obama's reliability, as it would clearly contradict what the US president has been saying for the past 19 months.

Since his rise to power in 2009, Obama has made a settlement freeze the focus of his attempts to resurrect direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

The signatories also reminded the US president of his 2009 speech in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, where he said the United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements and urged Israel to stop its construction activity.

Tel Aviv's continued construction in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds is seen as the main bone of contention between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and is blamed for derailing several rounds of talks between the two sides.

Apart from that, according to rights groups, Israeli settlers terrorize, harass and kill Palestinians on a daily basis without fear of recrimination or legal ramifications.

For example, on January 27, an Israeli settler shot dead Odai Qadous, an 18-year-old shepherd tending his flock of sheep in the West Bank. And on the very next day, more than 100 Israeli settlers stormed the same region, fatally shooting 15-year-old Yousef Ekhlil.

The tragic deaths serve as a stark reminder that the half million Israeli settlers, protected by the US-equipped Israeli army, are responsible for some of the most egregious human rights abuses suffered by Palestinians every day, the petition read.

Despite international criticisms, the US, a staunch ally to Israel, has, so far, vetoed over 40 anti-Israeli resolutions sought by the council since 1972.

Since 2004, Washington has prevented the adoption of four other resolutions that called for Tel Aviv to halt its operations in the Gaza Strip.

Analysts believe that Washington's unwavering support for Tel Aviv has made the United States an accomplice in Israeli actions.