U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump urged outgoing President Barack Obama to veto a draft anti-Israel resolution circulated Thursday at the UN Security Council. The resolution calls for an immediate end to Jewish construction on any land desired by the Palestinian Authority for its hoped-for state.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed concern months ago that such a resolution would be circulated at the UNSCH in the final days before Obama leaves office — and that Obama might withhold America’s veto this time around as a parting shot at Israel over the issue. The prime minister posted a video statement on social media Thursday, appealing to the U.S.
PM Netanyahu: Israelis deeply appreciate the willingness over many years of the US to stand up in the UN and veto anti-Israel resolutions. pic.twitter.com/sAquM91tql
— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) December 22, 2016
But Obama was cautious: a U.S. administration official said after the release of a statement by incoming President-elect Trump, “We have no comment at this time.”
Hours after Israel’s prime minister had raised the alarm, Trump issued a statement on social media, posting on Twitter and Facebook, bluntly saying that America should use its veto to kill the initiative.
“The resolution being considered at the United Nations Security Council regarding Israel should be vetoed,” said Trump in a statement issued to media.
“As the United States has long maintained, peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians will only come through direct negotiations 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,” he added.
Netanyahu launched a Twitter campaign as soon as the resolution came out, urging the U.S. to veto the proposal.
The US should veto the anti-Israel resolution at the UN Security Council on Thursday.— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) December 22, 2016
PM Netanyahu: The US should veto the anti-Israel resolution at the UN Security Council on Thursday.— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) December 22, 2016
