France, US and UK reject UN condemnation of Israel settlements 

June 29, 2008
Gulf News
Original Source: https://mail.hudsonny.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.gulfnews.com/region/Middle_East/10224667.html \t _blank http://www.gulfnews.com/region/Middle_East/10224667.html

New York: France, the U.S. and Britain are opposing Saudi Arabia's bid for a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli's settlement activity on occupied Palestinian territory in the West Bank. 

Saudi Arabia enlisted support among Arab nations for a draft resolution on West Bank settlements that was circulated today in the Security Council. The text demands that Israel completely cease all settlement construction and expansion. 

The Arabs hoped to build on recent criticism of settlement activity by the so-called Middle East Quartet, including the UN, U.S., Russia and the European Union. 


A senior UN official told the Security Council in a public meeting today that Israeli construction in the West Bank violated international law and the Quartet's Road Map'' to Middle East peace. 

We cannot accept the text as it is,'' French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert said. 
We think that the settlements are one of the major obstacles to peace, but we have to keep in mind all aspects of the crisis, including the fight against terrorism.'' 

Britain also took the view that the draft resolution should include references to the Road Map'' and the latest round of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations begun after the November summit in Annapolis, Maryland. 
The settlement issue is among the most contentious in the talks and may derail President George W. Bush's goal of laying the foundations for a Palestinian state with a peace agreement before he leaves office in seven months. 

The U.S. position, as expressed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during her June 19 visit to the UN, is against any Security Council involvement at this time. 

The parties are working very hard,'' Rice told reporters. 
The United States has been very clear in its criticism of the obligations of the Road Map'' that have not been met and are not being met and, indeed, of this settlement activity. But I do not think it's time for the Security Council to take this up.'' 

Israel won't accept demands to halt construction of some 1,400 housing units planned for an area of Jerusalem that was captured in the 1967 Six-Day War, government spokesman Mark Regev said on June 15. 
While more than 175,000 Israelis live in Ramot, Gilo and other such neighborhoods, Palestinians consider those areas occupied territory and often refer to them as colonial outposts.'' 

It will not be helpful,'' Daniel Carmon, Israel's deputy ambassador to the UN, said of the draft resolution. 
It will be received very negatively because it will be seen as something that has to be debated inside the bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. There is no need for such outside pressure.'' 

Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour said that unless the Security Council takes a position now, and compels Israel to halt settlement activity, a peace agreement by the end of the year will be impossible achieve.