US use of veto at UN Security Council ‘disappointing, irresponsible,’ says Palestinian president

By Awad Rjoub

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas termed the US veto at the UN Security Council against his country's request for full membership in the UN as “disappointing and irresponsible,” saying the Palestinian leadership “will reconsider its relationship with Washington.”

The president's remarks came in an interview with the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, which mostly criticized the US for thwarting an Arab resolution project demanding full Palestinian membership in the United Nations.

Abbas said the US vote in the Security Council “is disappointing, regrettable, shameful, irresponsible, and unjustified.”

“Palestinian leadership will reconsider bilateral relations with the US to ensure the protection of our people's interests, our cause, and our rights,” added the president.

Abbas further said that “while the world agrees on the application of international law and stands by the Palestinian right, America continues to support the occupation, refusing to compel Israel to stop its genocidal war.”

The US “provides Israel with weapons and funds that kill our children and destroy our homes, and it stands against us in international forums, in positions that do not serve security and stability in the region,” said the president.

According to Wafa, Abbas stressed the necessity for the US to realize that the Middle East will not stabilize without a just solution to the Palestinian issue, emphasizing that “Jerusalem, with its Islamic and Christian sanctities, is a red line that no one can cross.”

He also criticized “the policy of double standards and support for Israel in its aggression against the Palestinian people," stating that "it will not create a reality acceptable to the Palestinian people and will not bring security and peace to anyone.”

“The Palestinian cause is unbreakable, immutable, and unyielding. The sacrifices, patience, and resilience of the Palestinian people on their land, and their unbreakable will, will thwart all policies supported by America,” said Abbas.

The State of Palestine was accepted as an observer state of the UN General Assembly in 2012, allowing its envoy to participate in debates and UN organizations but without a vote.

According to the UN Charter, states are admitted to membership in the UN by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala