The resolution, which was initially tabled by Egypt but withdrawn under pressure from President-elect Donald Trump, passed 14-0 after it found sponsorship in Malaysia, New Zealand, Senegal and Venezuela [Xinhua]
In what is likely the last major US foreign policy action taken by the outgoing Obama administration, the US on Friday abstained rather than veto a UN Security Council resolution critical of Israel’s illegal settlement program.
The resolution, which was initially tabled by Egypt but withdrawn under pressure from President-elect Donald Trump, passed 14-0 after it found sponsorship in Malaysia, New Zealand, Senegal and Venezuela.
The resolution condemned “all measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, including, inter alia, the construction and expansion of settlements, transfer of Israeli settlers, confiscation of land, demolition of homes and displacement of Palestinian civilians, in violation of international humanitarian law and relevant resolutions”.
It said that Israel’s illegal settlements undermined the two-state solution for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples.
It, therefore, demanded that “Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and that it fully respect all of its legal obligations in this regard”.
Reaction to the resolution, including Washington’s abstention, came swift and hard.
While a number of Arab countries and the Palestinians welcomed to the resolution, several US senators accused the Obama administration of betraying its Israeli ally.
House Speaker Paul Ryan vowed that the Republican-led government would reverse the damage caused by the Obama administration.
On Friday, Israel recalled its ambassadors to New Zealand and Senegal.
The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies
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