UNSC passes resolution to end Israeli settlements
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has passed a resolution censuring Israel for its settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories after the US refused to veto it, reversing its longstanding policy of shielding the Israeli regime from condemnatory resolutions at the world body.
The Egyptian-drafted resolution was passed with 14 votes in favor and one abstention on Friday.
Egypt had withdrawn the measure after the Israeli regime asked US President-elect Donald Trump to pressure the North African country to delay voting on the draft resolution.
Israel, wary of indications that the US might veto the resolution, turned to Trump for support , who has defended Israel against condemnation for the settlement construction, and slammed the Obama administration for the "shameful move" against Tel Aviv.
It is the first resolution on Israel and the Palestinians that the 15-member body has passed in about eight years.
The Security Council was initially scheduled to vote on the resolution on Thursday.
However, on Friday, Malaysia, New Zealand, Senegal and Venezuela put forward the draft again, which called on Israel to "immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem" al-Quds.
It also said the construction of Israeli settlements has "no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law."
The vote possibly marks a short-lived turning point in US policy vis-à-vis the Israeli regime. Outgoing US President Barack Obama has said that the Israeli settlements pose an obstacle to the so-called Middle East peace process.
During the Friday session, US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power told the council that the vote reflected the country’s complaints about Israel’s settlement construction.
“Our vote today is fully in line with the bipartisan history of how American presidents have approached both the issue and the role of this body,” she said, adding that settlement activity "harms the viability of a negotiated two-state outcome and erodes prospects for peace and stability in the region."
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