UN to vote on draft nullifying Jerusalem move
The Hindu
AFP
United Nations, December 17, 2017
Resolution calls for any such
decision to be declared void and is likely to be backed by most members
The
UN Security Council is considering a draft resolution affirming that any change
to the status of Jerusalem has no legal effect and must be reversed, in
response to the U.S. decision to recognise the city as Israel’s capital.
Egypt
circulated the draft text on Saturday, and diplomats said the council could
vote on the proposed measure as early as on Monday.
Breaking
with the international consensus, U.S. President Donald Trump this month
announced that he would recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the
U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv, sparking protests and strong condemnation.
The
draft resolution stresses that Jerusalem is an issue “to be resolved through
negotiations” and expresses “deep regret at recent decisions concerning the
status of Jerusalem”, without specifically mentioning Mr. Trump’s move.
‘No legal effect’
“Any
decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or
demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are
null and void and must be rescinded,” it said.
Diplomats
said they expected the United States to use its veto power to block the measure
while most, if not all, of the 14 other council members were expected to back
the draft resolution.
Israel’s
UN Ambassador Danny Danon “strongly condemned” the draft, dismissing it as an
attempt by the Palestinians “to reinvent history”.
The
draft resolution calls on all countries to refrain from opening embassies in
Jerusalem, reflecting concerns that other governments could follow the U.S.
lead.
It
demands that all member-states not recognise any actions that are contrary to
UN resolutions on the status of the city.
Several
UN resolutions call on Israel to
withdraw from territory seized during the 1967 war.
The
Palestinians had sought a toughly-worded draft resolution that would have
directly called on the U.S. administration to scrap its decision.
But
some US allies on the council such as Britain, France, Egypt, Japan and Ukraine
were reluctant to be too hard-hitting and insisted that the proposed measure
should reaffirm the position enshrined in current resolutions, diplomats said.
Backed
by Muslim countries, the Palestinians are expected to turn to the UN General Assembly
to adopt a resolution rejecting the US decision, if, as expected, the measure
is vetoed by the United States at the council.
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