Voice of America Wrong on American Veto

By Published On: December 31, 2014

Jan. 4, 2015 Update: Voice of America Corrects: U.S. Didn’t Veto Palestinian Statehood Bid

Voice of American incorrectly reports in the lead of its article on the failed Palestinian statehood bid in the United Nations:

The United States has vetoed a United Nations Security Council draft resolution on Palestinian statehood that demanded Israel withdraw from the occupied territories.

Likewise, the VOA headline incorrectly states that the U.S. vetoed the Palestinian resolution:

voa veto.JPG

In fact, given that the resolution fell one short vote of the nine votes required to pass, the United States, which had voted against the draft, did not have to exercise its veto right. The American vote against a resolution is not a veto so long as the draft falls short of the nine countries in favor. As reported correctly by The New York Times:

So Mr. Kerry worked to line up enough abstentions from American allies like South Korea and Rwanda so that the United States would not have to wield its veto. . . .

By avoiding a veto, the United States also avoided a fresh irritant in its relations with Arab nations, some of which have joined the United States in the campaign in Iraq and Syria against militants from the Islamic State.

In addition, CNN accurately reports:

The United States voted against the resolution on the table and had been expected to exercise its permanent council member authority and veto the measure, had it passed.

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