WASHINGTON, July 21 (AFP) - The White House on Wednesday dismissed an overwhelming UN General Assembly vote to condemn Israel`s West Bank barrier, saying it was not "the appropriate way" to promote Middle East peace.
The assembly voted 150 to six late Tuesday, with 10 abstentions, to endorse a recent non-binding world court ruling which said the barrier was illegal and that parts already built on Palestinian land should be torn down.
"We don`t believe that the UN resolution is the appropriate way to go. The appropriate solution is to follow the roadmap to get to the political solution," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters.
That internationally drafted blueprint calls for a series of confidence-building steps by both sides ahead of the creation of an independent Palestinian state living side by side with Israel.
McClellan said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon`s "historic and bold" proposal to withdraw from all of Gaza and parts of the West Bank provided an opportunity to revive the tattered roadmap.
US President George W. Bush "has been leading on this issue in pushing for the political solution to move forward. And that`s what we will continue to do," said the spokesman.
Israel has also rejected the UN resolution and vowed to continue building the barrier, which it says has cut Palestinian attacks by 90 percent.
McClellan emphasized that the UN resolution was non-binding and said that the United States had "expressed our concerns about it, about it being one-sided."
But even as he reiterated Washington`s position that its Middle East ally "has the right to defend itself," the spokesman also cautioned Israel to "keep in mind the plight of the Palestinian people and work in a way that doesn`t place undue hardships on them so that they can move about freely."
Asked about political turmoil in the Palestinian territories, McClellan said it was a sign "that the Palestinian people really yearn for Palestinian leaders that are not tainted by corruption and that are committed to fighting terrorism" and building democratic institutions.
Asked whether the United States believed it was time to oust Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, McClellan said: "He has certainly not been part of the solution" to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
"That`s why it`s important to have institutions in place, for leaders to emerge that are committed to fighting terrorism and committed to moving forward on the roadmap," he said.