"This is a regrettable and unjustified move," said Saeb Erekat, a member of Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee, after the U.S. representative at the UN Security Council vetoed the Arab-endorsed draft resolution.
Fourteen members of the UN Security Council voted for the resolution, which was blocked by the United States Friday. The draft called on Israel to stop building settlements on the occupied Palestinian territories, including east Jerusalem, and condemns the construction.
The settlement construction is "illegal," Erekat told Xinhua, stressing that the U.S. veto will not change the fact. The Palestinian leadership will continue its diplomatic, political and popular moves against the settlement, he said.
Meanwhile, Nabil Abu Rdineh, spokesman for Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said the veto "will further complicate the situation in the Middle East," adding that it encourages Israel to evade the obligations of peace.
Earlier on Friday, the Palestinian leadership rejected U.S. offers to cancel the draft resolution in exchange for more efforts in reviving the stalled peace talks, which was suspended after Israel resumed settlement constructions in West Bank last September.
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