Netanyahu urges US to veto ‘anti-Israel’ UNSC resolution on settlements
The Israeli Prime Minister has urged the US to veto a draft UN Security Council resolution that aims to condemn settlement activities on occupied Palestinian lands.
In a short tweet, Benjamin Netanyahu said the United States “should veto the anti-Israel resolution” that 15 members of the UNSC will decide on in Thursday’s vote.
The US should veto the anti-Israel resolution at the UN Security Council on Thursday.
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) December 22, 2016
The text that Egypt circulated on Wednesday evening demands that “Israel immediately and completely cease[s] all settlement activities in occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.”
The draft resolution “stresses that the cessation of all Israeli settlement activities is essential for salvaging the two-State solution.”
Washington, a traditional Israeli ally, in 2011 already vetoed a draft resolution condemning Israeli settlements.
Recently the Obama administration has expressed disapproval of Israeli settlement policies which Tel Aviv has pursued since 1967. Now the outgoing US President will once again decide whether Washington still inadvertently backs Israeli illegal expansions.
A vote on the draft resolution is scheduled for 3:00pm (2000 GMT) on Thursday.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon went on to criticize the timing of the draft resolution that he said targets the “sole democracy” in the region.
READ MORE: US & UN criticize Israeli settlement bill viewed as step towards West Bank annexation
“It is bizarre that while thousands are being slaughtered in Syria ... the Security Council dedicates time specifically to discuss the condemnation of the sole democracy in the Middle East [Israel],” Danon said, according to Jerusalem Post. “We expect our greatest ally to not let this one-sided and anti-Israel resolution pass through.”
READ MORE: Majority of Democrats believe Israel is 'burden' on US – poll
More than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank and around East Jerusalem, built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. The occupied territories have been seeking full independence from Israel for decades, with Palestinians demanding full recognition as a sovereign state from the UN and the international community.
