UNSC Resolution 2334

Although the US refrained from using its veto regarding UNSC Resolution 2334 and merely abstained from voting,Samantha Power's comment that “continued settlement building undermines Israel's security” might have prompted some people to wonder what she thought the imposition of those settlements is doing to Palestinian security.Established on belligerently-Occupied Palestinian land, they are, indisputably, violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention. More important, Samantha Power also drew attention to Israel's long-term ideological purpose when she told the Council: “Steps aimed at advancing the Israeli settlement programme … raise legitimate questions about Israel’s long-term intentions.”

Israel claims to be unjustly singled out but its isolation is self-imposed; the result of decades of violations of international humanitarian law. The 14 members of the Security Council who passed the resolution are far more representative of world opinion than are the supporters of Zionism but it will take more than the mere passing of UN resolutions to bring to an end its total lack of accountability. The UN should take heed of the example set by the world-wide Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) and its policy of non-violent persuasion.

Leslie Bravery

Palestine Human Rights Campaign Aotearoa/New Zealand

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