Israel lashed out at the Obama administration "friends don't act that way" after Ambassador Power abstained (refusing to veto) as The United Nations passed a resolution demanding Israel to stop settlement building on occupied Palestinian territory. As NYTimes notes, the administration’s decision not to veto the measure broke a longstanding American tradition of serving as Israel’s sturdiest diplomatic shield, and defied extraordinary pressure from President-elect Trump.
As The New York Times reports, the administration’s decision not to veto the measure came a day after Mr. Trump personally intervened to keep the draft measure, proposed by Egypt, from coming up for a vote on Thursday, as scheduled.
Mr. Trump’s aides said he spoke to the Israeli prime minister,Benjamin Netanyahu. Both men also spoke to the Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Egypt postponed the vote.
But in a show of mounting frustration, a group of other countries on the 15-member Security Council — all of them relatively powerless temporary members with rotating two-year seats — snatched the resolution away from Egypt and put it up for a vote Friday afternoon.
It passed 14 votes in favor, with the United States abstaining.
Ambassador Power tried to explain herself (yes that Smantha Power):
- *POWER QUOTES REAGAN IN DEFENSE OF U.S. ABSTENTION ON UN VOTE
- *POWER SAYS VOTE WAS NOT `STRAIGHTFORWARD' FOR U.S.
- *POWER SAYS ISRAEL STILL TREATED DIFFERENTLY AT THE UN
- *POWER: CAN'T CHAMPION SETTLEMENTS AND TWO-STATE SOLUTION TOO
- *POWER: UN RESOLUTION `TOO NARROWLY FOCUSED' ON SETTLEMENTS
As yet Donald Trump has not tweeted his response, but the Israelis are not happy:
- *ISRAEL'S STEINITZ ON U.S. VOTE: `FRIENDS DON'T ACT THAT WAY'
- *UN VOTE NOT ANTI-SETTLEMENT, IT'S ANTI-ISRAEL: YUVAL STEINITZ
- Manoj Rawal: U.S. HAS "ABANDONED ISRAEL," #ISRAELI MINISTER CLOSE TO #NETANYAHU SAYS AFTER UN SECURITY COUNCIL VOTE ON
- *ISRAEL'S DANON SAYS U.S. VETO OF UN MOVE `WAS TO BE EXPECTED'
- *ISRAEL'S DANON: `NEW ERA' WILL COME WITH TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
Paul Ryan has chimed in:
- *RYAN SAYS U.S. REFUSAL TO VETO UN ISRAEL RESOLUTION `SHAMEFUL'