Since Thursday, there has been nothing I have following politically except the UN security draft resolution to end Israeli settlements in West Bank drama.
I was really happy Thursday morning to know that Egypt presented on behalf of the Arab league and the Arab States a draft UN security council resolution that "considers the Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 illegal".
The UN security council would vote on it Thursday evening Cairo Local time.
Then came Thursday afternoon with ongoing drama that started with the US-elected President Donald Trump's tweet demanding current President Obama to veto the resolution.
The reports came afterward from Tel Aviv and New York that Israel is using all its powers to stop this resolution from going forwards.
The News came from Tel Aviv that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his advisors are using all kinds of pressure to make Egypt withdraw this resolution.
Normally as Egyptian and Arab, I know that usually those kinds of resolutions are met with US Vetoes but it never hurts to try.
A similar draft resolution was presented in 2011 and was vetoed by the States.
Then the news came that Egypt decided to postpone the vote after those alleged Israeli pressures per Israeli and international media Thursday afternoon.
At the same time, it was spread in the media through Western diplomats that the US would have abstained for the first time if the vote had taken place.
The Egyptian foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid told Sky News Arabia that Egypt decided to ask for postponing the vote for further consultations on the resolution whether with the Arab states group in the UN or at the Arab League's Committee to End the occupation in Cairo.
The League's committee is made up by Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Palestine and it is the one that drafted the original draft resolution.
According to the statement published by Sky News Arabia at 5:57 PM, the Arab League's committee decided on Monday to evaluate the chances of passing that resolution.
At 7: 2 PM Cairo Local time, US-based Al-Hurra TV channel diplomatic correspondent in the UN Nabil Abi Saab quoted Egypt's ambassador to the UN Amr Abo Al-Atta saying that he would wait for the instructions from Arab foreign ministers "aka the committee in Cairo" at 1 PM EST.
At nearly 10 PM Local time, the Egyptian Presidency announced that President-election Trump called President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on the phone Thursday evening to discuss a number of issues above them the UNSC draft resolution of Israeli settlement.
According to the official statement released by President El-Sisi's office, the two agreed to postpone the UNSC resolution because:
The Pro-regime supporters cheered for that victory on how El-Sisi won Trump as he made Obama miss the opportunity to "score a point".
They also spoke about how Egypt regained its leading role.
First, this talk is just the streetwise "not-so-wise" of Pro-regime supporters who believe that Trump is better than Obama because he hates Islamists. Trump and his administration hate Muslims not just Islamists.
Unfortunately, those people do not know that Donald Trump administration seems to be worse than the Obama's administration when it comes to the Palestinian issue with its complete total bias towards hardliners in Israel.
The man is already nominating a hardline right-wing Zionist bankruptcy lawyer as the next US ambassador to Israel who does not believe or want the 2-state solution !!
Second, I think the issue of illegal settlements is more important than scoring points or having deals regardless what if we are going to speak about the true Egyptian leading role in the region.
Thursday night in New York, things were really hard to the Egypt's mission to the UN.
New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal that co-sponsored the draft resolution as UNSC non-permanent members told Egypt if Cairo did not have a clear position by the end of the day in an official memo, they reserved the right the right to proceed to put it to vote on Friday.
The Palestinian mission to the UN was part of that memo as well.
Friday afternoon, Egypt's State News agency MENA quoted an anonymous Egyptian diplomatic source saying Egypt postponed the draft resolution's vote is evidence of the deep vision of the current Egyptian administration because the UNSC issued more powerful resolutions against Israel and Tel Aviv totally ignored them in the past !!
The source added that it was clear that the Obama administration wanted to restrain Trump administration from taking "decisive decisions for a comprehensive settlement for Palestine !!"
Hours later, Egypt's mission to the UN withdrew the draft resolution completely.
And so New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal proceeded to put it to vote.
Yes, thank God Egypt's mission voted in favor the resolution.
Friday evening, Ambassador Abo El-Ata told Extra News that Egypt had to withdraw the draft resolution because of "the political outbidding that reached to the levels of warning" referring to the memo of New Zealand, Malaysia, Senegal and Venezuela.
On Saturday, Egypt's MOFA spokesperson said that Egypt had to withdraw the draft resolution because it was worried that the United States or any other country would use the veto !!
On Monday the Egyptian MOFA Spokesperson said that Egypt took the decision to withdraw the draft resolution before the phone call between Sisi and Trump and that Trump was the one to call the Egyptian president !! 😑😑
Now the pro-regime media whether the mainstream or social media is claiming that what happened is actually a victory for Egyptian diplomacy because the draft resolution passed and we won Trump's administration !!!
I do not know how it is a "true" victory for Egyptian diplomacy nor how we got Trump's administration's support.
The Pro-Sisi supporters are also spreading rumors that the Egyptian mission "did not withdraw" the draft resolution which is untrue but it seems that Pro-regime
Trump's call with Sisi and presidency's call readout are completely ignored.
The true victory is Palestinian victory without a doubt. It is Palestine's Christmas present.
Total respect for Malaysia, New Zealand, Senegal and Venezuela for putting international laws and human rights above all measure.
Israel won't respect that UN Security council resolution just like the other UN security council resolutions issued before above them the withdrawal of the land it occupied in 1967 where it is currently building illegal settlements.
Still, this is an important unprecedented resolution.
It is the first time since God knows when that United States does not veto a resolution against Israel.
It is the first time since God know when the security council countries voted for a resolution like that except one country that abstained.
I will quote Mohamed ElBaradei and what he said on Friday here.
It is worth to mention that Egypt among 52 countries abstained to vote for establishing a special independent panel to investigate war crimes in Syria earlier last week.
I feel angry that my country had an opportunity to create a difference for the Arab people twice in UN security council twice and it let them down because of political shortsighted vision.
We are losing officially moral obligation towards our fellow Arabs.
I was really happy Thursday morning to know that Egypt presented on behalf of the Arab league and the Arab States a draft UN security council resolution that "considers the Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 illegal".
The UN security council would vote on it Thursday evening Cairo Local time.
Then came Thursday afternoon with ongoing drama that started with the US-elected President Donald Trump's tweet demanding current President Obama to veto the resolution.
That statement was not strange for me because after all Trump's in-laws donated for the construction of illegal settlements in the West Bank according to Israeli Haaretz Daily.The resolution being considered at the United Nations Security Council regarding Israel should be vetoed....cont: https://t.co/s8rXKKZNF1— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 22, 2016
The reports came afterward from Tel Aviv and New York that Israel is using all its powers to stop this resolution from going forwards.
The News came from Tel Aviv that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his advisors are using all kinds of pressure to make Egypt withdraw this resolution.
Normally as Egyptian and Arab, I know that usually those kinds of resolutions are met with US Vetoes but it never hurts to try.
A similar draft resolution was presented in 2011 and was vetoed by the States.
Then the news came that Egypt decided to postpone the vote after those alleged Israeli pressures per Israeli and international media Thursday afternoon.
At the same time, it was spread in the media through Western diplomats that the US would have abstained for the first time if the vote had taken place.
 |
| Sisi and Trump in New York earlier in September "Egyptian Presidency" |
The Egyptian foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid told Sky News Arabia that Egypt decided to ask for postponing the vote for further consultations on the resolution whether with the Arab states group in the UN or at the Arab League's Committee to End the occupation in Cairo.
The League's committee is made up by Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Palestine and it is the one that drafted the original draft resolution.
According to the statement published by Sky News Arabia at 5:57 PM, the Arab League's committee decided on Monday to evaluate the chances of passing that resolution.
At 7: 2 PM Cairo Local time, US-based Al-Hurra TV channel diplomatic correspondent in the UN Nabil Abi Saab quoted Egypt's ambassador to the UN Amr Abo Al-Atta saying that he would wait for the instructions from Arab foreign ministers "aka the committee in Cairo" at 1 PM EST.
1 PM EST means 8 PM Cairo local time.Breaking - UN #Egypt Ambassador Abo Alatta: We’ll wait for instructions 1 pm from Arab Foreign Ministers re voting on the “Arab" resolution— Nabil Abi Saab (@NabilAbiSaab) December 22, 2016
At nearly 10 PM Local time, the Egyptian Presidency announced that President-election Trump called President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on the phone Thursday evening to discuss a number of issues above them the UNSC draft resolution of Israeli settlement.
According to the official statement released by President El-Sisi's office, the two agreed to postpone the UNSC resolution because:
" The two leaders agreed on the importance of giving the new administration a chance to deal comprehensively with all the aspects of the Palestinian issue to achieve a comprehensive, final settlement to the issue"So officially we got here another reason other than consultations with other Arab countries about resolution.
The Pro-regime supporters cheered for that victory on how El-Sisi won Trump as he made Obama miss the opportunity to "score a point".
They also spoke about how Egypt regained its leading role.
First, this talk is just the streetwise "not-so-wise" of Pro-regime supporters who believe that Trump is better than Obama because he hates Islamists. Trump and his administration hate Muslims not just Islamists.
Unfortunately, those people do not know that Donald Trump administration seems to be worse than the Obama's administration when it comes to the Palestinian issue with its complete total bias towards hardliners in Israel.
The man is already nominating a hardline right-wing Zionist bankruptcy lawyer as the next US ambassador to Israel who does not believe or want the 2-state solution !!
Second, I think the issue of illegal settlements is more important than scoring points or having deals regardless what if we are going to speak about the true Egyptian leading role in the region.
Thursday night in New York, things were really hard to the Egypt's mission to the UN.
New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal that co-sponsored the draft resolution as UNSC non-permanent members told Egypt if Cairo did not have a clear position by the end of the day in an official memo, they reserved the right the right to proceed to put it to vote on Friday.
The Palestinian mission to the UN was part of that memo as well.
Friday afternoon, Egypt's State News agency MENA quoted an anonymous Egyptian diplomatic source saying Egypt postponed the draft resolution's vote is evidence of the deep vision of the current Egyptian administration because the UNSC issued more powerful resolutions against Israel and Tel Aviv totally ignored them in the past !!
The source added that it was clear that the Obama administration wanted to restrain Trump administration from taking "decisive decisions for a comprehensive settlement for Palestine !!"
Hours later, Egypt's mission to the UN withdrew the draft resolution completely.
And so New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal proceeded to put it to vote.
And so at 2 PM EST in a historical session by all means at the UN Security council, 15-member council adopted the resolution by a 14-vote in favor with one abstention: The United States.After request from co-sponsors New Zealand, Malaysia, Senegal and Venezuela - #UNSC will vote on #MiddleEast resolution at 2 pm (8am NZ)— NZ Mission to the UN (@NZUN) December 23, 2016
And as former Egyptian FM Amr Moussa said that Egypt did good by voting in favor of the resolution. "He praised Obama"مجلس الأمن يعتمد قرارا يطالب #إسرائيلبوقف الاستيطان بأغلبية 14 صوتا وإمتناع الولايات المتحدة عن التصويت pic.twitter.com/Ptsr1zxbaY— الأمم المتحدة (@UNarabic) December 23, 2016
Yes, thank God Egypt's mission voted in favor the resolution.
Friday evening, Ambassador Abo El-Ata told Extra News that Egypt had to withdraw the draft resolution because of "the political outbidding that reached to the levels of warning" referring to the memo of New Zealand, Malaysia, Senegal and Venezuela.
On Saturday, Egypt's MOFA spokesperson said that Egypt had to withdraw the draft resolution because it was worried that the United States or any other country would use the veto !!
On Monday the Egyptian MOFA Spokesperson said that Egypt took the decision to withdraw the draft resolution before the phone call between Sisi and Trump and that Trump was the one to call the Egyptian president !! 😑😑
Now the pro-regime media whether the mainstream or social media is claiming that what happened is actually a victory for Egyptian diplomacy because the draft resolution passed and we won Trump's administration !!!
I do not know how it is a "true" victory for Egyptian diplomacy nor how we got Trump's administration's support.
The Pro-Sisi supporters are also spreading rumors that the Egyptian mission "did not withdraw" the draft resolution which is untrue but it seems that Pro-regime
Trump's call with Sisi and presidency's call readout are completely ignored.
The true victory is Palestinian victory without a doubt. It is Palestine's Christmas present.
 |
| The security council while voting and you can see the US ambassador Samantha Power abstaining " Karel van Oostersom, head of Netherlands mission to the UN" |
Total respect for Malaysia, New Zealand, Senegal and Venezuela for putting international laws and human rights above all measure.
Israel won't respect that UN Security council resolution just like the other UN security council resolutions issued before above them the withdrawal of the land it occupied in 1967 where it is currently building illegal settlements.
Still, this is an important unprecedented resolution.
It is the first time since God knows when that United States does not veto a resolution against Israel.
It is the first time since God know when the security council countries voted for a resolution like that except one country that abstained.
I will quote Mohamed ElBaradei and what he said on Friday here.
"The security council: The settlements are a violation of the international laws. Regardless of whatever pressure and narrow interest, it is unfortunate to lose our national compass or our moral obligation"مجلس الأمن :المستوطنات تشكل انتهاكا للقانون الدولى. من المؤسف أيا كانت الضغوط والمصالح الضيقة أن نفقد بوصلتنا القومية أو التزامنا الأخلاقي— Mohamed ElBaradei (@ElBaradei) December 23, 2016
It is worth to mention that Egypt among 52 countries abstained to vote for establishing a special independent panel to investigate war crimes in Syria earlier last week.
I feel angry that my country had an opportunity to create a difference for the Arab people twice in UN security council twice and it let them down because of political shortsighted vision.
We are losing officially moral obligation towards our fellow Arabs.
