Israeli occupation of Palestine caused by US Veto?

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US Veto UN resolutions against Israel

A story with two sides?

I'm a big believer that there are two sides to every story and when I first started taking a deep interest in the Palestine / Israeli conflict, it was with the perspective that each side would be at fault in different ways.  While I still believe that every individual can strive to do better, as I researched the situation further, I became horrified at the atrocities that the Israelis were committing and the strong bias that the international press, particularly the American press had against Palestine.

Perhaps, like I used to think, you believe both sides should simply make peace with each other?  If so, here are some statistics (as of 28 June 2015) that help show why Palestine is the victim and why the international focus should be on stopping the Israeli occupation:

 

 

  • There have been over 90 UN Resolutions targeting Israel, but only 1 UN Resolution targeting Palestine.
  • The US have vetoed 42 UN Resolutions against Israel (scroll down for a list).
  • In the 2014 Gaza occupation there were over 1500 Palestinian civilians killed and 6 Israeli civilians killed.  Over 99.5% of civilian casualties were Palestinian!
  • Over 28,000 Palestinian homes have been destroyed to create 262 Jewish only settlements.  No Israeli homes have been destroyed and there are no illegal Palestinian settlements.
  • The US gives $9 million USD every day to Israel as 'aid' - roughly $500 USD per year to each and every Israeli, but doesn't give anything to Palestine.
     

 

The US - The only country to support Israel

If we accept that our focus should be on stopping the Israeli occupation and restoring Palestinian land, where does the US fit in to all of this?  On 42 separate occasions they were the only country to support Israel, let's start with that!

The United Nations was founded in 1945 with the aim of maintaining international peace and developing friendly relations between countries and better human rights.  With this focus in mind, over 90 security council resolutions have been raised against Israel.  Tragically between 1972 and 2014, the US vetoed 42 different security council resolutions against Israel, preventing the world from charging them with war crimes and removing any external reason why Israel would look for a peaceful solution time and time again.

In every single one of the 42 Resolutions, the USA was the ONLY country to vote against the resolution, ALL other countries either voted for it or abstained!

Details of each of the resolutions the USA vetoed is shown below.  There are two core questions that need answering:

  1. How can the Veto system be modified in order to ensure that the UN can serve its original purpose of maintaining international peace?
  2. What does Israel have over America?

42 UN Resolutions against Israel the US has Vetoed

Draft Security Council Resolution Year Date Resolution For-
Against-
Abstain
Condemning Israeli settlements Established Since 1967 as Illegal
 2011 February 18 S/2011/24 14-1-0
Calling Israel To Halt Gaza Operation
 2006 November 11 S/2006/878 10-1-4
Calling Israel To Halt Gaza Operation
 2006 July 13 S/2006/508 10-1-4
Calling Israel To Halt Gaza Operation
 2004 October 5 S/2004/783 11-1-3
Condemning Israel for Killing Hamas Leader Ahmed Yassin
 2004 March 25 S/2004/240 11-1-3
Seeking to Bar Israel from Extending Security Fence
 2003 October 14 S/2003/980 10-1-4
Demanding Israel Halt Threats to Expel Yasser Arafat
 2003 September 16 S/2003/891 11-1-3
Condemning Israeli Killing UN employees of World Food Programme 2002 December 20 S/2002/1385 12-1-2
Demanding Immediate Cessation of Israeli-Palestinian Violence
 2001 December 14 S/2001/1199 12-1-2
Calling for UN Observers Force in West Bank & Gaza
 2001 March 27 S/2001/270 9-1-4
Demanding Israel Cease Construction of Settlements in East Jerusalem 1997 March 21 S/1997/241 13-1-1
Calling Israeli authorities to Refrain from All Settlement Activity
 1997 March 7 S/1997/199 14-1-0
Confirming Israeli Expropriation of Land in East Jerusalem as Invalid
 1995 May 17 S/1995/394 14-1-0
Commission to Investigate Murder of Seven Palestinian Workers
 1990 May 31 S/21326 14-1-0
Deploring Israeli Policies and Practices in the Occupied Territories
 1989 November 7 S/20945/Rev.1 14-1-0
Condemning Israeli Policies and Practices in the Occupied Territories
 1989 June 9 S/20677 14-1-0
Deploring Israeli Policies and Practices in the Occupied Territories
 1989 February 17 S/20463 14-1-0
Deploring Israeli Attack Against Lebanese Territory on December 9
 1988 December 14 S/20322 14-1-0
Condemning Invasion by Israeli Forces of Southern Lebanon
 1988 May 10 S/19868 14-1-0
Urging Israel to Abide by the Fourth Geneva Convention
 1988 April 15 S/19780 14-1-0
Calling on Israel to Accept Applicability of 4th Geneva Convention
 1988 February 1 S/19466 14-1-0
Deploring Repeated Israeli Attacks Against Lebanese Territory
 1988 January 18 S/19434 13-1-1
Condemning Israeli Interception of Libyan Plane
 1986 February 6 S/17796/Rev.1 11-1-4
Calling on Israel to Respect Muslim Holy Places
 1986 January 30 S/17769/Rev.1 13-1-1
Condemning Israeli Practices Against Civilians in Southern Lebanon
 1986 January 17 S/17730/Rev.2 11-1-3
Deploring Repressive Measures by Israel Against Arab Population
 1985 September 13 S/17459 10-1-4
Condemning Israeli Actions Against Civilians in Southern Lebanon
 1985 March 12 S/17000 11-1-3
Calls for Israel Respect of Lebanese Sovereignty & Independence
 1984 September 6 S/16732 14-1-0
Determining Israeli Settlement Construction as Illegal
 1983 August 2 S/15895 13-1-1
Condemning Israel for Not Implementing Res.'s 516 & 517
 1982 August 6 S/15347/Rev.1 11-1-3
Demanding Immediate Cessation of Hostilities in Lebanon
 1982 June 26 S/15255/Rev 2 14-1-0
Calling on Israel to Withdraw Forces from Lebanon
 1982 June 8 S/15185 14-1-0
Condemning Aggression on the Temple Mount
 1982 April 20 S/14985 14-1-0
Denouncing Israeli Contravention of Fourth Geneva Convention
 1982 April 2 S/14943 13-1-1
Calling for Nullification of Israeli Occupation of Golan Heights
 1982 January 20 S/14832/Rev.1 9-1-5
Exercise of Inalienable Rights by the Palestinians
 1980 April 30 S/13911 10-1-4
Affirming Palestinian Right of Return and Sovereignty in Palestine
 1976 June 29 S/12119 10-1-4
Calling on Israel to Uphold Protection of Holy Places
 1976 March 25 S/12022 14-1-0
Calling on Israel to Withdraw from All Palestinian Territories
 1976 January 26 S/11940 11-1-3
Condemning Israel for Air Strikes Against Lebanon
 1975 December 8 S/11898 13-1-1
Deploring Israel's Continued Occupation of Palestinian Territories
 1973 July 26 S/10974 14-1-0
Complaint over Israeli Aggression Against Lebanon
 1972 September 10 S/10784 13-1-1

 

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