The United States, Israel's main ally, had initially been expected to voted in line with the other 14 but Rice later became the sole abstention."In the night between Thursday and Friday, when the secretary of state wanted to lead the vote on a ceasefire at the Security Council, we did not want her to vote in favour," Olmert said"I said 'get me President Bush on the phone'. They said he was in the middle of giving a speech in Philadelphia. I said I didn't care. 'I need to talk to him now'. He got off the podium and spoke to me."I told him the United States could not vote in favour. It cannot vote in favour of such a resolution. He immediately called the secretary of state and told her not to vote in favour."
The United States, Israel's main ally, had initially been expected to voted in line with the other 14 but Rice later became the sole abstention.
"In the night between Thursday and Friday, when the secretary of state wanted to lead the vote on a ceasefire at the Security Council, we did not want her to vote in favour," Olmert said
"I said 'get me President Bush on the phone'. They said he was in the middle of giving a speech in Philadelphia. I said I didn't care. 'I need to talk to him now'. He got off the podium and spoke to me.
"I told him the United States could not vote in favour. It cannot vote in favour of such a resolution. He immediately called the secretary of state and told her not to vote in favour."
Ehud Olmert can tell Bush how Rice should vote at the UNSC? Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith
Ehud Olmert can tell Bush how Rice should vote at the UNSC?
I'm not sure who Israel has pissed off in DC and/or the press, but the pro-Israel propaganda hasn't been nearly as strong this go-round, and people who oppose the slaughter in Gaza are being a lot bolder than they've been in the past. Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. - George Carlin
There was a call to Bush, and Bush did instruct Rice to abstain. It's not clear what the US vote would have been without that call (although I doubt the US would have joined such a resolution anyway, given the past track record).
