Dishonest Broker

As the old adage goes, actions speak louder than words.

On a number of occasions over the years, US officials have touted the two-state solution for Palestine and Israel, all the while continuing to support Israel’s brutal occupation of Palestinian territory (or what remains of it). Any United Nations resolution that could help us inch closer towards peace and a two-state solution has been vetoed by — you guessed it — the United States.

In the meantime, Israel has been able to keep the Gaza Strip under blockade and continue its illegal military occupation of the West Bank while building new illegal settlements. The West Bank is so fractured, and disconnected from the Gaza Strip, that a two-state solution is pretty much impossible at this point.

Those who have been following the Palestinian-Israeli conflict for some time know that the US has never been an honest broker. Since the Oslo Accords were signed in the 1990s, what has changed or improved for Palestinians? They’ve gotten no closer to realizing self-governance or self-determination. They’ve gotten no closer to a Palestinian state. More of their homes have been demolished. More Israeli settlements have been built. More Palestinians have been put under administrative detention. And the Palestinian Authority under President Mahmoud Abbas seems to have become even more of a puppet for Israel.

Despite all the setbacks for the State of Palestine, it managed to achieve Permanent Observer status at the UN in 2012. Not that it comes with many benefits, but at least it’s some form of recognition and provides them with the privilege of attending meetings in a formal capacity. Still, even for this miniscule privilege, the US, Canada, and Israel voted against it in 2012. What were they afraid of?

Twelve years later, Algeria presented a short and simple draft resolution to the UN Security Council urging nations to recognize Palestine as a full Member State of the United Nations. In essence, simply recognize that Palestine exists. This would have served as a solid step towards actual statehood, and therefore, peace. It would still require the end of Israel’s decades-long military occupation, but it would have been a step in the right direction. After all, Israel was accepted as a permanent UN Member State in 1949 despite a series of terrorist attacks by Haganah, Irgun, and Stern Gang against Palestinians and the British since the 1920s.

On April 18, 2024, a vote took place at the UN Security Council where 15 Security Council member nations voted on Algeria’s resolution. In order for a draft resolution to move forward for a wider vote, at least nine of the members must vote in favor. However, it only takes a single veto by one of the five permanent members (i.e. US, UK, France, Russia, China) to obliterate the resolution. If this draft resolution would have moved forward to the UN General Assembly, then all 193 nations would get to vote on it, which would have been in Palestine’s favor since most countries support its statehood.

Twelve nations voted in favor of the resolution. Not bad. Two nations — Switzerland and the UK — abstained. Okay. But in classic fashion, the US representative proudly raised his hand high to vote against the resolution. And that was the end of it.

One has to question if the US and Israel truly want peace, or would they prefer the Palestinian people eventually just go away? In vetoing this UN resolution, the US continues to deny the Palestinians their right to self-determination and arguably their basic human rights. Just another shameful chapter for the history books and another example of the farce that international law and diplomacy are.