U.S. vetoes U.N. resolution condemning Israel on Gaza

This is absolute madness. Again, the U.S. stands as the only country to veto a resolution critical of Israel:

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States on Saturday vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning an Israeli attack in Gaza that killed 18 Palestinian civilians and urging a quick withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area.

Nine of the council's 15 members voted for the measure, while four abstained: Britain, Denmark, Japan and Slovakia.

But the "no" vote cast by U.S. Ambassador John Bolton -- his second since he arrived at U.N. headquarters a little over a year ago -- was enough to kill the resolution.

The measure, backed by Arab, Islamic and nonaligned nations and formally proposed by Qatar, would have called on the Palestinian Authority to "take immediate and sustained action to bring an end to violence, including the firing of rockets on Israeli territory."

It would have urged the international community to take steps to stabilize the situation, revive the Middle East peace process and consider "the possible establishment of an international mechanism" for the protection of civilians.

It also would have condemned Israeli military operations in Gaza and called on the Jewish state to withdraw all troops from Gaza and end its operations in all Palestinian lands [Click to read full article]