Condoleezza Rice: Vote on UNSC Israel Resolution

Vote on UNSC Resolution on Israel

Secretary Condoleezza Rice
Washington, DC
November 11, 2006

On November 8, Israeli artillery shells were fired into a residential area of Beit Hanoun, killing 17 civilians. The injuries and loss of life, and especially the deaths of a number of young children, were tragic. That day, President Bush conveyed deepest condolences on behalf of the United States. The President called on all parties to act with care so as to avoid any harm to innocent civilians.

The Israeli government has apologized for the incident and stated that it did not intend to fire on Beit Hanoun. It has promised a thorough investigation. The United States calls on Israel to report its findings as soon as possible and to take appropriate steps to avoid a repetition of these events.

Today, the United States was compelled to vote against a resolution in the United Nations Security Council because the resolution would have used the tragic incident in Beit Hanoun to advance a one-sided political agenda. We do not believe the resolution was designed to contribute to the cause of peace. Among other things, the resolution included an unsubstantiated determination that Israel had violated international law. The resolution included inflammatory and unnecessary language that would aggravate the situation in Gaza. The resolution, moreover, failed to include any reference to terrorism or to condemn Hamas for its threats to broaden the attacks against Israel and the United States.

The United States calls on all sides to undertake their obligations, as spelled out in the Roadmap, in order to realize the vision of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.

2006/1028

Released on November 11, 2006

ENDS

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