The United States today vetoed an Arab-sponsored resolution in the Security Council strongly condemning the April II shooting on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The vote was 14-1 in favor of the draft which was introduced by Jordan and Morocco.
U.S. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick explained afterwards that although her government condemns the incident, it could not support the resolution because it was not objective and contained implications that responsibility for the crime lies with the Israeli government.
Israel’s UN Ambassador, Yehuda Blum, speaking before the vote, said the resolution “seeks to associate Israel with the crime of a single individual acting on his own.” He was referring to the American-born Israel army soldier who opened fire on Moslem worshippers killing two and wounding 30. The suspect, Allan Harry Goodman, originally from Baltimore, has been arraigned for the crime.
ELEMENTS IN THE DRAFT RESOLUTION
The draft resolution declared that the Security Council “condemns in the strongest terms these appalling acts of sacrilege” and called on “Israel, the occupying power, to observe and apply scrupulously the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention and the principles of international law governing military occupation and to refrain from causing any hinderance to the discharge of the established functions of the Higher Islamic Council in Jerusalem.”
It deplored “any act or encouragement or profanation” of holy places and shrines in Jerusalem “as tending to disturb world peace.” The resolution also called on the Secretary General to keep the Security Council “fully informed on the implementation of this resolution.”
Kirkpatrick objected to that part of the resolution which alleged that Israel was hindering the work of the Moslem Supreme Council in East Jerusalem. In reality, there is no evidence for that, she said. She added that the resolution as a whole does not serve any constructive purpose and will not stop the violence in the area.
Blum, in his remarks before the vote, said Israel “would have been prepared to consider supporting the terms of a draft resolution that would have spoken also of the 95 mosques and many churches destroyed in Hamma by the Syrian army; of the necessity to study the lesson to be gleaned from the attack on the Great Mosque in Mecca; of the destruction of many churches and holy shrines in Lebanon; and of the 58 synagogues destroyed by the Jordanians in Jerusalem up to the reunification of the city in 1967.”
Meanwhile, the General Assembly opened its emergency debate this afternoon on the “Palestinian Question.” Israel is on the list of speakers and will address the session this evening. The debate was begun in July, 1980 and subsequently adjourned.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
