Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as shameful the decision last week by the United Nations (UN) Security Council to adopt a resolution demanding an end to the Israeli settlement building in previously acquired territories.
The resolution passed the 15-member UN Security Council on December 23 after the United States has uncharacteristically decided to deviate from its long-standing approach of diplomatically shielding Israel.
The US surprisingly did not wield its veto power as it had done so many times before, which is why Netanyahu considered the decision of the UN Security Council or perhaps the US as shameful, reports The Guardian.
It seems however that US President-elect Donald Trump is not in favor of the decision of the Obama government to back off from the issue by not dipping its hands on the matter, so unlike years before.
In a tweet on December 24, Trump said that the big loss for Israel in the United Nations will make it much harder to negotiate peace. He added that he promises that the US will get it done just the same.
He also posted a subsequent tweet by saying that things will be different in the UN after January 20, which is the day when he will officially become president of the US and also the most powerful man in the world.
Constructing Jewish settlements
For several decades now, Israel has pursued a policy of constructing Jewish settlements on territories captured by Israel back in 1967 during its war with its Arab neighbors.
These territories include the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the East Jerusalem. Both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have been the subjects of numerous terrorist attacks and assaults, which seem to be part of the efforts of some Arab countries to retaliate against Israel.
Most Arab countries in the Middle East view Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as illegal and an obstacle to peace. Israel disagrees, citing a biblical connection to the land, notes Reuters.
Despite being a very small Jewish state, Israel looms large in the Middle East precisely because of the support and military backing of the United States.
Defying heavy pressure from long-time ally Israel and President-elect Donald Trump for Washington to use its veto, the United States abstained in the UN Security Council decision, which passed with 14 votes in favor.
That is precisely the reason why Netanyahu was surprised when the US did not intervene with the decision of the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution banning Israel from continuing its efforts to build Jewish settlements on the specified acquired territories.
Putting Trump in a challenging situation
Some political analysts actually believe that the sudden hands-off policy of the US under outgoing President Barack Obama on the issue may be part of the efforts of the Democrats party to put incoming President Donald Trump in a challenging situation particularly with regards to the peace process in the Middle East.
It seems that Trump is also aware that politics may be involved with the sudden avowal of the US on the issue but he seems determined to correct things or restore it back to where it was when he assumes the presidency on January 20. He also had choice words for the UN which mean that a shakeup may be in the offing as well in the UN Security Council.
As far as Israel is concerned, it seems that Prime Minister Netanyahu is now considering of gradually bolting out of the UN.
Netanyahu explained on December 24 that he has instructed the Israel foreign ministry to complete within a month a re-evaluation of all the country’s contacts with the UN, including the Israeli funding of UN institutions, and the presence of UN representatives in Israel.