Palestinian leaders were shocked Tuesday when their resolution for Palestinian statehood was rejected by the U.N. Security Council by an 8-2 vote with 5 nations abstaining.
The measure needed 9 “yes” votes for the measure to pass.
The resolution would have created a 12 month timetable for negotiations for a final peace deal with Israel. The measure would also require Israel to pull out of the West Bank within three years and declare that East Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian state.
Palestinian leaders had told press sources before the vote they had the nine votes required to pass the measure and force the United States to use their veto as a permanent member to stop the action. However, Nigeria and Rwanda, which the Palestinians expected to support them, abstained from the vote at the last minute.
Only the U.S. and Australia voted no on the measure. The five nations that abstained from the vote (effectively helping stop passage) were the U.K., Lithuania, South Korea, Nigeria and Rwanda.
France, China, Russia, Argentina, Chad, Chile, Jordan and Luxembourg voted in favor.
Israeli officials were furious French officials who voted in favor of the measure despite claiming they had serious issues with the wording of the resolution. France had tried to push forward what they termed a “more moderate resolution” that did not include the timetables and other demands on Israel made by the Palestinians and their supporters.
State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke told reporters that many countries agreed with the U.S. that the measure was “unconstructive and poorly timed.”
“We think it sets arbitrary deadlines for reaching a peace agreement and for Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank, and those are more likely to curtail useful negotiations than to bring them to a successful conclusion,” Rathke said. “Further, we think that the resolution fails to account for Israel’s legitimate security needs.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said ahead of the vote if the Security Council did not reject the resolution, “we will.” He added that direct negotiations and not imposed conditions are the only way to reach a long lasting peace in the region.