Questions linger after U.N. action against Israeli settlements

On Dec. 23, President Barack Obama decided to abstain from the U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334 vote, which condemned Israel for continuing to build settlements in the occupied territories. I have waited until now, February 2017, to send this in because I was hoping for a clarification from President Obama even though he is out of office. I voted for President Obama both times and appreciate all he has done for Israel, however his parting move against Israel defies logic.

By abstaining from the vote, the U.S. allowed the U.N. Security Council, in a vote of 14-0, to condemn construction of Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.

The holy city of Jerusalem, the region of Judea and Samaria which contains the West Bank, the Golan Heights, and Sinai were captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. At that time in history, the Jewish state was under attack by the surrounding Arab nations of Jordan, Egypt and Syria, who were determined to exterminate Israel. Israel also defended that territory and itself in the Yom Kippur War of 1973.

The response to Obama’s decision has been dramatic. The terrorist organizations, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, celebrated the decision as an “important evolution.”

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu categorically rejected the despicable antiIsrael resolution. To paraphrase, he stated that while the Security Council does nothing to prevent the massacre of half a million people in Syria, it has shamefully singled out Israel, the most Democratic country in the Middle East, to vote against and condemn.

President Donald Trump and numerous U.S. senators and congressmen also have condemned Obama’s decision. They stated that this resolution put Israel in a poor negotiating position with the Palestinians, and rather than supporting a peaceful two-state solution, it would hamper further discussions. They stated that the vote was an effort to demonize and isolate Israel in the waning days of the Obama administration.

Why did the Obama administration decide to abstain from this vote, and what was their role in bringing this vote forward? Was it an attempt to balance Trump’s policies that will be more favorable to Israeli settlement construction? Or was it an attempt to balance Trump’s stance on the U.N. and future negotiations within that institution? Was it a final shot against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their acrimonious relationship over the last eight years? Was Obama trying to place a wedge between Netanyahu and his own political party in Israel, thereby making him look inadequate in handling Israel’s foreign relations?

Lastly, if Obama truly believed the settlements are impeding a peaceful resolution, then how does he expect Israel to negotiate with the Palestinian Authority unity government that includes Hamas, a terrorist organization whose charter explicitly calls for the destruction of Israel. A two-state resolution would only be possible when the Palestinian people choose a leadership that truly wants to have a peaceful resolution without terrorism, and one that recognizes Israel’s right to exist and the right to defend itself.

By foregoing direct negotiations and trying to force action in international bodies, efforts such as the one in the United Nations only increases Palestinian intransigence and increases Israeli reluctance to take future risks on this very elusive peace.

Why did the Obama administration decide to abstain from this vote? ... Was it an attempt to balance Trump’s policies that will be more favorable to Israeli settlement construction?