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22 October 2003

U.S. Opposes U.N. Resolution on Israeli Fence

General Assembly debated Israeli actions in occupied territories

By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent

United Nations -- The United States was one of four nations voting October 21 against a General Assembly resolution demanding that Israel end construction of the security fence it is building in the West Bank.

U.S. Ambassador James Cunningham called the resolution "one sided" and said that in order to gain U.S. support, any resolution must "take into account the complex security situation on the ground and include a condemnation of terrorist bombings and the groups that perpetrate them."

The resolution concluded a two-day resumption of the tenth emergency session on Israeli activities which first began in 1997 to debate Israeli actions in the occupied territories. The resumption of the long-running session was requested by the Arab League after a U.S. veto in the Security Council stopped a resolution on the same issue a few days earlier.

The resolution was adopted by a vote of 144 with four against -- U.S., Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia -- and 12 abstentions. The resolution, which condemned all acts of violence, terrorism and destruction, was sponsored by the European Union. The resolution also expressed concern that the route marked out for the fence could prejudice future negotiations and make the two-state solution physically impossible to implement.

Unlike U.N. Security Council resolutions, those of the General Assembly are not binding on members, and no member nation holds veto power in the Assembly.

Cunningham repeated the Bush administration's determination to continue with peace efforts between Israelis and Palestinians.

"For our part, the United States along with Quartet partners, will continue to work toward the implementation of President Bush's vision of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as set forth in the roadmap. We remain committed to the roadmap as the way forward toward the goal of the Israeli and Palestinian people living side-by-side in peace," the U.S. ambassador said.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

This page printed from: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2003&m=October&x=20031022173314namfuaks1.337832e-02&t=usinfo/wf-latest.html