UNSC Passes Resolution To End Israeli Settlements; US Refuses To Side With The Jewish State This Time

The United Nations Security Council on Friday (23 December) adopted a resolution urging Israel to cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The 15-nation council reaffirmed that Israeli settlement activities have "no legal validity" and constitute a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of a two-state solution between Palestine and Israel, Xinhua news agency reported.

While 14 council members voted in favour, the United States abstained, allowing for the resolution to be adopted. The US sees the settlements, which are illegal by the international laws, as an obstacle to peace. The resolution demands 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".

Israel slammed the resolution and said it will not obey it. Condemning the "despicable" resolution, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel "will not subordinate itself" to "this absurd" resolution.

As for US President-elect Donald Trump, he tweeted:

Trump expressed his displeasure at the resolution being considered at the UN before the vote in a Facebook post.

Israel captured the West Bank, along with the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast War. About a decade later, right-wing Israelis started to establish settlements on these lands. The Palestinians have vowed not to return to the negotiating table unless Israel freezes its settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

With inputs from IANS