VIDEO - The UN Security Council on Tuesday declared that US-brokered negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians are "irreversible" and urged both sides to redouble efforts to secure peace. The declaration was at the heart of a resolution drafted by the United States and Russia. The resolution, which passed 14-0 with Israel's enemy Libya abstaining, was the first adopted on the Middle East crisis in nearly five years. Video courtesy of Infolive.tv The US and other delegations had hoped for a unanimous vote in favor of the two-page text, but Libyan UN Ambassador Giadalla Ettalhi criticized the text for not condemning Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, which he described as "basically a crime against humanity". Ettalhi had wanted the resolution to mention several Palestinian complaints, including the blockade of the Gaza Strip and Israeli settlement in Palestinian areas. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat welcomed the resolution, but added that he hoped "it will not be added to the archives of other resolutions that have not been implemented so far." Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni also praised the resolution, stating that it "constitutes a brave act of international support for a process based on Quartet principles – recognition of Israel, cessation of terror and acceptance of previous agreements." US officials said the point of the resolution was to endorse the goals of talks on Palestinian statehood launched in November 2007 by the administration of President George W. Bush in Annapolis, Maryland, while avoiding specific disagreements. The adopted resolution only indirectly addresses the complaints of the Palestinians and Israelis by urging them to "refrain from any steps that could undermine confidence or prejudice the outcome of the negotiations." It recognizes progress made in the talks and calls for "an intensification of diplomatic efforts" aimed at securing a "comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East." Bush Legacy The Republican administration had wanted a deal on Palestinian statehood by the end of this year but all sides now say that will not happen. Bush leaves office on Jan. 20, when Democrat Barack Obama will become US president. UN diplomats have said the Bush administration, highly unpopular in the Arab world, hopes this resolution will help secure it a positive legacy for its Middle East policies and counter criticism it has faced for its 2003 invasion of Iraq. US Secretary of State of Condoleezza Rice described the situation in the Middle East as catastrophic when Bush took over from his predecessor Bill Clinton in 2001. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the lack of a peace deal so far did not mean the Annapolis talks failed. "The Annapolis process has not delivered a Palestinian state but the absence of an Annapolis process would have left us much worse off," he said. Roni Sofer contributed to this report