Eleven of the 15 Security Council nations voted in favor of the resolution, while Britain, Germany and Bulgaria abstained. Syria, the only Arab nation on the Security Council, had been pressing for a vote since last week's decision by Israel's security Cabinet to "remove" Arafat in a manner and time to be decided. Israel blames Arafat for sabotaging the peace process and doing nothing to prevent terrorist attacks. At a council meeting Monday, virtually all the more than 40 speakers condemned Israel's threats against Arafat. Immediately after the vote, America's U.N. Ambassador John Negroponte reiterated that the United States doesn't support the elimination or forced exile of Arafat and believes that his diplomatic isolation is the best course.