United Nations, New York, Reuters, 23 December 2016 – After the United States abstained from voting, the UN Security Council on Friday passed a resolution demanding Israel stop building settlements on occupied Palestinian territory, a reversal of US practice to protect Israel from United Nations action.
The resolution was put forward at the 15-member council for a vote on Friday by New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal a day after Egypt withdrew it under pressure from Israel and US President-elect Donald Trump. Israel and Trump had called on the United States to veto the measure.
It was adopted with 14 votes in favor, to a round of applause. It is the first resolution the Security Council has adopted on Israel and the Palestinians in nearly eight years.
A UN Security Council vote to adopt a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements is a blow to Israeli policy, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Friday.
“The Security Council resolution is a big blow to Israeli policy, a unanimous international condemnation of settlements and a strong support for the two-state solution,” spokesman Nabil Abu Rdainah said in a statement published by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.