Obama administration confirms it would veto Palestinian statehood at the U.N.

Posted By Josh Rogin Thursday, September 8, 2011 - 4:40 PM Share

The State Department confirmed today that, if the Palestinian drive for full recognition at the United Nations reaches the Security Council, the United States will veto it.

The clear statement on U.S. plans for a potential Security Council showdown comes one day after President Barack Obama's nominee for undersecretary of state, Wendy Sherman, got out ahead of the administration and told a Senate committee that the United States was planning to use its veto power.

"The United States is very resolved to a veto threat in the Security Council. What we are very resolved about as well is urging the parties to enter into direct negotiations again," Sherman testified, in remarks first reported by The Cable.

The State Department press corps pressed spokeswoman Victoria Nuland about Sherman's remarks at Thursday's briefing.

"We've seen the press furor around this. Frankly, it was surprising to us. It should not come as a shock to anyone in this room that the U.S. opposes a move in New York by the Palestinians to try to establish a state that can only be achieved through negotiations," said Nuland. "So, yes, if something comes to a vote in the U.N. Security Council, the U.S. will veto."

Nuland also sought to clarify Sherman's comment that the administration does not expect the issue to reach the Security Council in the first place.

"I would imagine that what our nominee was referring to is the fact that our diplomacy continues to make the case to the parties that the best route forward is to come back to the negotiating table and not to pursue action in New York," Nuland said.

Maen Rashid Areikat, the PLO representative to the United States and head of the PLO mission in Washington, refuted suggestions that the Palestinian leadership was thinking of backing down on taking their bid for international recognition. He told The Cable this week that the U.N. Security Council is the most likely venue for a vote on the Palestinian statehood question.

"We hope the United States will reconsider its position and not use its veto power against the Palestinian move at the United Nations," he said. "What happens after a veto? There are so many other options."

One of those options is to seek non-member recognition through the U.N. General Assembly, which would not be subject to a U.S. veto, Areikat said.

Israel's ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, told The Cable last week that if the Palestinians move forward with their statehood drive, bilateral agreements between the Israelis and the Palestinians could be at risk. The State Department has asked the Israelis not to scuttle those agreements.

Nuland warned that the vote could have negative consequences. "There could be tensions on the ground. There are certainly going to be tensions in New York, which we want to avoid," she said.

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WINSTON SMITH 9584

4:34 PM ET

September 9, 2011

A Shameful Veto

It is outrageous and shameful that the Obama Admin. (and by extension the Israeli government) is blocking the Palestinian's rightful bid for statehood at the UN. The government of the US is now more than ever assisting and enabling the Israeli government's apartheid policies against the Palestinian people.

COMETLINEAR

6:34 PM ET

September 9, 2011

You obviously have a very simplistic understanding

Of this conflict.

Declaration of statehood will do nothing to change the situation on the ground. It will only aggravate the conflict. That's why Obama is wisely vetoing it.

Personally, I doubt this vote will even take place. Most of the big UN states have come to their senses and realized it's a bad idea.

IDIOTPRAYER84

12:28 AM ET

September 10, 2011

Value of a UN Declaration

The UN declaration would light a fire under Bibi's feet to go to the negotiating table. Bibi has been stalling by placing ridicules preconditions that he knows the Palestinians will reject. Meanwhile, more settlements are built and the only solution, the two-state solution, becomes less viable. Until now, Bibi has been able to do what he wants without any fear of repercussions. With a UN declaration, there will be a cost to Bibi's shenanigans. Israel is losing support internationally due to Bibi's intransigence and this gives the moderate forces in Israel a way to challenge him from his left. Hopefully, this would cause his conservative coalition to fall and be replaced by a more moderate government who will be more serious about two-states.

DREAM D

8:28 PM ET

September 9, 2011

Thank god

This veto was a smart move by Obama in my opinion. Going forth with statehood would have made things much worse than they already are. Sometimes I wonder if there is even a point to UN intervention.
dildos

TERENCE

4:17 PM ET

October 6, 2011

The negotiations can go on

The negotiations can go on for the next twenty years gardening tips while more and more of Palestine is occupied by Europeans, until all of it is gone. Problem solved.