As the United Nations voted that Israel's settlement building was illegal, the United States veto vote that would have canceled out this resolution was withheld, as the US abstained from the vote.
From the New York Post:
The US abstained in the vote that was approved by 14 of the council’s 15 members to applause. The resolution first introduced by Egypt in coordination with the Palestinians calls Israel “settlement building” in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank a “flagrant violation under international law” and demands Israel discontinue all settlement activities immediately.
“It was to be expected that Israel’s greatest ally would act in accordance with the values that we share – and would have vetoed this disgraceful resolution,” said Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon.
The blame for this is being put on President Barack Obama and his administration, who has been highly critical of Israel in the past. Various heads of organization heads have weighed in on the decision, not just pointing their fingers at Obama, but adding some incredibly harsh words as well.
“Siding with such an abomination, ignoring universal calls to stand with our ally Israel, including from all the Democratic leaders in Congress, as well as Republicans, has again isolated this administration from the Democratic Party and further underscores the unusual, extreme and harmful foreign policy of this administration,” Block said in a statement.“Obama has made it clear that he’s a Jew hating, anti-Semite. He likes Jews who are his friends but not Jews in general,” said Morton Klein, president of the Zionists Organization of America, the country’s oldest pro-Israel organization, before the vote was taken. “Obama is sticking it to the Jewish state of Israel” if the US. abstains or supports the resolution, Klein said on Friday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly reached out to President-elect Donald Trump who was also displeased with the decision, and took to Twitter to assure his followers — as well as Israel — that things are going to change.
