Palestine calls for UN General Assembly meeting after US vetoes al-Quds resolution

Rasa - The Palestinian Foreign Minister has called for an emergency United Nations General Assembly meeting after Washington vetoed a UNSC resolution aimed at annulling US President Donald Trump’s move to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital.

News ID: 435423

Date: 19 December 2017 - 23:51

RNA - Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Maliki made the announcement on Monday, while noting that the US will not be able to veto the resolution at the General Assembly.

"We do enjoy great support from the majority of member states in the Security Council and in the United Nations in general against the us decision to move the embassy to Jerusalem and to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel," he added.

Maliki made the announcement after fourteen members of the 15-member council voted in favor of the Egyptian-drafted resolution.

"We were aware that the US veto was imminent we have really worked very hard to get 14 yes (votes). We didn't even bother to look at the American position, we wanted to make sure that we are getting 14 votes in favor of the resolution and this is what we got. So it was very clear that 14 votes in favor, which means the majority of members of the Security Council against veto from the US," he added.

Meanwhile, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations Gholamali Khoshroo has slammed the veto, saying that it was proof that the US is a main supporter of the Tel Aviv regime's occupation and aggression.

Russia ready to mediate

After the US vetoed the resolution, Russian deputy UN envoy Vladimir Safronkov announced that his country is ready to mediate a so-called peace process.

"We are ready to become an honest mediator here," he said.

Safronkov also reiterated Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's call for the Security Council to conduct "a comprehensive review of the situation in the Middle East."

On December 6, Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital and relocate the US embassy in occupied lands from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds.

The dramatic shift in Washington’s policy vis-à-vis the city triggered demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco and other Muslim countries.

Jerusalem al-Quds remains at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Palestinians hoping that the eastern part of the city would eventually serve as the capital of a future independent Palestinian state.

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