US allows UNSC to demand end to Israeli settlements

Ignoring calls from president-elect Donald Trump and lobbying by Israel, the UN Security Council on Friday demanded an end to Israeli settlements, in a resolution adopted after the United States abstained from voting on the contentious measure.

After the vote, Israel scrambled to contain the fallout after lashing out at US President Barack Obama over the “shameful” resolution.

The resolution was passed 14-0.

The resolution moved by Egypt was to come up for vote on Thursday, but was postponed because of Trump’s personal intervention — he spoke to the Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

While Egypt agreed to hold the resolution, its co-sponsors New Zealand, Senegal, Malaysia and Venezuela put it to vote on Friday. It required nine votes to pass, and it got 14.

Any one of the permanent members could have stopped it with a veto, but no one did.

The Obama administration, which has been extremely frustrated with the continuing settlement constructions, ignored Trump’s open call on Thursday and intense lobbying by the Israeli government.

By deciding not to veto the move, the United States took a rare step that deeply angered Israel.

“Israel rejects this shameful anti-Israel resolution at the UN and will not abide by its terms,” read a statement from Netanyahu’s office.

“The Obama administration not only failed to protect Israel against this gang-up at the UN, it colluded with it behind the scenes,” it said.

“Israel looks forward to working with President-elect Trump and with all our friends in Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike, to negate the harmful effects of this absurd resolution.”

Trump had earlier said in a statement before the vote, “The resolution being considered at the United Nations Security Council regarding Israel should be vetoed.

“As the United States has long maintained, peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians will only come through direct negotiations between the parties, and not through the imposition of terms by the United Nations.

“This puts Israel in a very poor negotiating position and is extremely unfair to all Israelis.”