U.S. refuses to veto UN censure of Israeli settlements

Abstaining from 14-0 vote a historic snub of ally

In a striking rupture with past practice, the United States allowed the UN Security Council on Friday to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as a “flagrant violation” of international law. In doing so, the outgoing Obama administration brushed aside Donald Trump’s demands that the U.S. exercise its veto and provided a climax to years of icy relations with Israel’s leadership.

The decision to abstain from the council’s 14-0 vote is one of the biggest American rebukes of its longstanding ally in recent memory. And it could have significant ramifications for the Jewish state, potentially hindering Israel’s negotiating position in future peace talks. Given the world’s widespread opposition to settlements, the action will be almost impossible for anyone, including Trump, to reverse.

Nevertheless, Trump vowed via Twitter: “As to the UN, things will be different after Jan. 20th.”

The resolution said Israel’s settlements in lands the Palestinians want to include in their future state have “no legal validity.” It demanded a halt to such activities for the sake of “salvaging the two-state solution.”

Loud applause erupted in the council chamber after U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power permitted the resolution to pass. Friday’s condemna- tion, a day after Egypt suddenly postponed a scheduled showdown, capped days of frantic diplomacy in capitals around the world.

Most of the world is opposed to Israel’s construction of Jewish settlements in lands it seized in the 1967 Mideast War. The primary holdout has been the U.S., which sees settlements as illegitimate but has traditionally used its veto power on the Security Council to block such resolutions on the grounds that IsraeliPalestinian disputes should be addressed through negotiation.