The resolution, drafted by Egypt and opposed by the Israelis, calls existing Israeli settlements a "flagrant violation" of international law, though it stops short of saying they should be dismantled.
The U.N. Security Council had been set to vote on the resolution Thursday before Egypt pulled the measure, saying they would wait until a meeting of the Arab League to discuss how to proceed. Haaeretz reported Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose nation deeply opposes outside interference in the Palestinian dispute, personally lobbied Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi to pull the resolution.
In a statement, Trump said the United Nations should not place terms on either side, but rather let the Israelis and Palestinians sort it out.
"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," Trump said. "This puts Israel in a very poor negotiating position and is extremely unfair to all Israelis."
The resolution states future settlements would represent a potentially impossible strain on a two-state solution to the long-running conflict.
The resolution says the "cessation of all Israeli settlement activities is essential for salvaging the two-state solution" and "for affirmative steps to be taken immediately to reverse the negative trends on the ground."
[upi.com]
22/12/16
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