Editorial: US Hegemony
Srinagar: As expected the United States has vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that called on President Donald Trump to withdraw recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, exercising its veto power for the first time in six years.
The US President had on December 6 announced that he would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, triggering protests and strong condemnation from across the world.
Even America’s closest allies on the 15-member Council, the most powerful body in the UN system, voted for the resolution.
The one-page resolution, drafted by Egypt, reiterated the longstanding position of the Security Council, in several resolutions dating back 50 years, rejecting Israel’s sovereignty claim over Jerusalem.
They warned that Trump’s announcement about Jerusalem, which upended decades of American policy, threatened to subvert the effort to solve one of the world’s most intractable conflicts.
The US stand over Jerusalem initially did surprise many, but looking deep down the thought process that has emerged after Trumph took over as the US President, the move seems to be on expected lines.
However, the decision taken by the US has already isolated it from the rest of the world as most of the countries have come out openly in support of the Palestinian stand, thus widening the gap between the US and the rest of the world further.
Worse enough the Muslim world has gone entirely against the US decision, which in the long run does not augur well with the present world scenario. The US is acting so unmindful of the paradigm shift by the rest of the world that out of arrogance of power it went on saying that the veto is being done in defence of American sovereignty and in defence of America’s role in the Middle East peace process and the move is not a source of embarrassment for them.
Nevertheless, the rumblings have surfaced just weeks after the US announced its intentions. Pakistan which was considered a long time ally of the country has already been shifting away from the US and now the war of words has intensified to the extent that official statements have come from both the sides expressing displeasure against one another.
Similarly, the rest of the Arab world too has been critical to the US move. The resolution calling on Trump to withdraw recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was supported by close allies of the US-Britain, France and Japan.
The move no doubt will split the world further and this time the blame lies entirely on the US policy makers who have started to act is isolation. The recent events that have surfaced after the US decision have shown that these decisions are unhelpful to the prospects for peace in the region, an aim that most of the countries in the world remain committed to.
KV Correspondent
