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U.S. Muslim Envoy Votes Against Palestine
WASHINGTON, April 9 (IslamOnline) - A United Nation's human rights forum held last Friday in Geneva overwhelmingly reaffirmed its commitment to Palestinian people's right to self-determination and statehood.
Ironically enough, the U.S.'s Muslim envoy to the forum, Shirin Taher Kheli, along with her Guatemalan counterpart, were the only ones to oppose the resolution.
The resolution, which was put forward by Arab and Islamic states, including Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria, said that the Palestinian right to self-determination and nationhood was a basic condition for achieving a lasting Middle East peace.
The resolution was passed 48-2 and was also favored by Britain, China, France and Russia. Two delegates, including one representing Canada, abstained while one delegate was absent.
Under the resolution, the Commission upheld the "inalienable, permanent and unqualified right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including their right to establish their sovereign and independent Palestinian State."
Ambassador Ya'acov Levy, representing Israel only as a observer state, condemned the resolution saying, "The resolution we have before us...preempts the outcome of the permanent status negotiations and will only undermine the attempts to reach a successful conclusion of these negotiations."
Tahir Kheli, also criticizing the resolution, said, "The United States opposes this resolution, as we opposed similar ones in previous sessions of the Commission, because it attempts to prejudge final status issues that the parties have agreed will be reserved for their negotiations." Such U.N. texts, "risk diminishing the prospects for peace in the Middle East."
Earlier this year, Tahir-Kheli was rumored to be appointed Assistant Secretary of State on South Asia. The rumors caused a media frenzy in India where newspapers called her "anti-Indian".
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