Although the US refrained from using its veto regarding UNSC Resolution 2334 and merely abstained from voting,Samantha
Power's comment that “continued settlement building undermines Israel's security” might have prompted some people to
wonder what she thought the imposition of those settlements is doing to Palestinian security.Established on
belligerently-Occupied Palestinian land, they are, indisputably, violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention. More
important, Samantha Power also drew attention to Israel's long-term ideological purpose when she told the Council:
“Steps aimed at advancing the Israeli settlement programme … raise legitimate questions about Israel’s long-term
intentions.”
Israel claims to be unjustly singled out but its isolation is self-imposed; the result of decades of violations of
international humanitarian law. The 14 members of the Security Council who passed the resolution are far more
representative of world opinion than are the supporters of Zionism but it will take more than the mere passing of UN
resolutions to bring to an end its total lack of accountability. The UN should take heed of the example set by the
world-wide Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) and its policy of non-violent persuasion.
Leslie Bravery
Palestine Human Rights Campaign Aotearoa/New Zealand