Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat shrugged off on Wednesday the vetoing by the United States of a United Nations resolution condemning Israeli plans to remove him from his West Bank headquarters.
”The international silence will not make us weak,” Arafat told supporters at his compound here.
”We do not care about any resolution here or there and we are stronger than any decision.”
Palestinian Negotiations Minister Saeb Erakat had earlier called Washington’s decision to veto the resolution a ”black day” for the UN.
”The US veto is a black day for the UN and for the Arabs,” Erakat said.
”I hope that Israel does not understand the decision to kill the resolution as a license to kill President Arafat.
”What we have seen in the Security Council last night is tearing apart and violating the international norms,” he added.
”The US provides protection to the state of Israel, shows tolerance, and treats it as a state above the law.”
Washington used its veto power to block the resolution criticising Israel, saying it took no steps to tackle Palestinian militant groups like Hamas.
”We will not support any resolution that evades the explicit threat to the Middle East peace process posed by Hamas and other such terrorist groups,” said John Negroponte, the US ambassador to the UN.
Eleven of the 15 Council nations voted in favour of the measure, which was sponsored by Syria, the Council’s only Arab member, at the request of the Palestinians. Britain, Bulgaria and Germany abstained.
Israel sparked outrage among Palestinians and severe international criticism after deciding last Thursday to approve Arafat’s ”removal”, accusing him of being an absolute obstacle to peace.
One minister suggested that Arafat might be assassinated. — Sapa-AFP