Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, President-elect Donald Trump vowed to be a strong ally to Israel, and on Thursday, he had his first real chance to prove he meant every bit of it.
The Egyptian delegation to the United Nations has circulated a draft resolution that calls for a permanent ban on Israeli settlements in “Palestinian territory.” The U.N. Security Council was scheduled to vote on the measure at a hastily planned 3 p.m. EST meeting Thursday.
The Egyptian draft also declares all existing settlements “have no legal validity” and are “a flagrant violation” of international law, adding “the cessation of all Israeli settlement activities is essential for salvaging the two-state solution.” The move had been expected but still caught many of the 15 UNSC member nations off guard.
Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said the resolution only “rewards the Palestinian policy of incitement and terror” and that it “will do nothing to promote a diplomatic process.” He said he expects the U.S.—”our greatest ally”—would not allow a one-sided, anti-Israel resolution to be adopted.
The White House has not yet responded to the resolution. But Trump didn’t mince words, quickly issuing a statement condemning the resolution and demanding the U.S. use its veto authority in the UNSC.
“The resolution being considered at the United Nations Security Council regarding Israel should be vetoed,” he said. “As the United States has long maintained, peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians will only come through direct negotiations between the parties and not through the imposition of terms by the United Nations.
“This puts Israel in a very poor negotiating position and is extremely unfair to all Israelis.” {eoa}
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