Move comes amid diplomatic tussle between Israel and US over new West Bank homes; Israel’s UN envoy accuses Palestinians of trying to ‘harm Israel’ instead of negotiating
BY TIMES OF ISRAEL STAFF AND RAPHAEL AHREN
The United Nations Security Council is expected to meet next Friday to discuss Israeli settlements in the West Bank, in what is considered the opening shot of a renewed Palestinian initiative to pass a resolution condemning Israel for the contentious issue.
The meeting, while initiated by the Palestinians, was formally requested by Malaysia, Venezuela, Senegal, Egypt and Angola under the official banner: “The settlements as the obstacle to peace and a two-state solution.”
“The existence and expansion of the settlements on Palestinians lands which were occupied in 1967 endanger a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the two-state solution,” reads a position paper distributed to participants, obtained by Israeli news site Ynet Friday.
The paper castigates Israel and the Israeli security forces for “overlooking violent acts of the settlers against Palestinians and not giving them the protection to which they are entitled under international law.”
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon criticized the Palestinians for the initiative, accusing them of “using the international community to harm the State of Israel instead of stopping incitement and sitting at the negotiation table.”
“The Palestinians are conducting state terror against the communities in Judea and Samaria,” he charged, in reference to the West Bank, adding that the Palestinians were once again trying to bypass direct talks with Israel and turning to the UN and the international community instead.
“The Palestinian leadership is choosing, once again, to reject our repeated suggestion for direct negotiations and is going straight to the UN. This move will not lead to an improvement in the Palestinian situation,” Danon warned. “It is the international community’s responsibility to strongly reject these attempts. Only an absolute stop to Palestinian incitement and the halting of terror against Israeli citizens will facilitate a dialogue.”
News of the upcoming Security Council session came after a week of diplomatic tussling between Israel and the US over the settlements issue, following Israeli approval last week of construction of new housing units for the homeowners of the illegal outpost of Amona ahead of its court-ordered evacuation. The plan calls for two phases of construction, with a further 200 units to be approved after a first round of 98 homes is completed.
The US sharply criticized the announcement and, according to a Channel 2 report Thursday, was particularly infuriated that it came so soon after the Obama administration agreed a record-breaking 10-year military assistance package for Israel, and right after Obama came to Israel, in a show of respect and solidarity, for the funeral of former president Shimon Peres last Friday.
Israeli government members have been worried that Obama, before leaving office in January but after a successor is chosen in November, may seek to impose or advance a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or at least set out parameters for how it should be solved, including through the Security Council by not using the US veto for any anti-Israel resolutions.
The TV report said cabinet ministers had been taken aback by the ferocity of the US reaction, after the White House on Wednesday accused Israel of a betrayal of trust over the new construction plans.
“We did receive public assurances from the Israeli government that contradict this announcement,” said press secretary Josh Earnest. “I guess when we’re talking about how good friends treat one another, that’s a source of serious concern as well.”
In a similarly strongly worded statement, the State Department said Israel’s “recent decision to advance a plan that would create a significant new settlement deep in the West Bank.” Invoking the name of Israel’s former president who died last week, spokesman Mark Toner added: “[I]t is disheartening that while Israel and the world mourned the passing of President Shimon Peres, and leaders from the US and other nations prepared to honor one of the great champions of peace, plans were advanced that would seriously undermine the prospects for the two state solution that he so passionately supported.”
On Thursday, an Israeli official deepened the latest dispute by charging that “disproportionate criticism” from Washington over the latest construction plans is “an alibi” to cover plans by President Barack Obama to take anti-Israel actions in the final weeks of his presidency.
Speaking to Channel 2 news, the unnamed “senior political source” insisted that newly announced plans to build some 300 homes for Jews in the West Bank do not constitute a new settlement, and do not breach any commitments made by Israel to the United States.
The “disproportionate” US criticism “is an alibi for one-sided actions being planned by Obama,” the source was quoted as saying, “even though Obama pledged to Netanyahu that he won’t take any one-sided actions concerning Israel” in the final weeks of his presidency.
The TV report stressed that the comments did not constitute an official response from the government, and noted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not responded to the US criticism.
Israel’s Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said Thursday evening she did not think that the US administration would take any “mean-spirited” steps against the Jewish state, such as deciding not to veto anti-Israel resolutions at the UN Security Council, in response to the building plans.
Shaked also called the condemnation from Washington “disproportionate.” Shaked, from the pro-settlement Jewish Home party, said the US should focus its condemnation on Syria “rather than criticizing where Israel builds houses.”
“When the Middle East is in flames, when on the borders of Jordan and Syria dozens of men, women and children are slaughtered,” making a statement like this “over a decision by the Defense Ministry to build a few dozen homes for the residents of Amona is completely out of proportion,” she told Army Radio. “I think we need to build in Judah and Samaria,” she added, using the biblical term for the West Bank.
Shaked said that while Jerusalem cares what the US administration thinks, it has to act in its own best interests. “The US is a good friend, we are partners and we pay attention to what they say. But at the end of the day Israel has to do what is best for [the country],” she said.
when will the useless GOI stop protecting terrorists and harrassing soldiers and nationalists. When will the Jews stop being victims in their own Jewish homeland? Why do Jews put up with the abuse and slaughter? Why are Jews wailing and weeping instead of the arab muslims wailing and weeping for their dead?
I have given the answer but no one hears. This Jew killer was to report to jail for incitement and instead he reported to kill jews.
The terror 5th column needs to be hacked off at the root. The beginning is for Israeli Jews to have zero tolerance for the slightest shred of anti semitism. It is not enough to wait for incitement when everyday the muslims teach their children that Jews are sons of apes and pigs,, the arab MK encourage Jew killers, the schools eulogize their jew killers.
Any muslim anti semite should be dragged from his home, beaten to a pulp, stripped of residence and citizenship and incarcerated immediately until deported to any available cesspool over the border… and their entire clan with them. This approach will spare them from the death they deserve because any one who teaches their children that Jews are sons of apes and pigs should be slaughtered without mercy.
Mosques, schools, imams, teachers, leaders, all must be punished severely for their anti semitism. In such a culture, befitting of a Jewish state, there will be no anti semite budding to be an inciting imam or muslim terrorist. Stop wailing Jews and make the enemies wail instead. Meanwhile there are still fool leftist scum Jews who seek to put jews in jail for shooting terrorists.
@ Ted Belman:
I agree, his pit bull attitude is exactly what I am voting for in going after all these miscreants.
@ Per:
To Date, Trump has not commented on the UN. But based on his anti globalism stand I expect that he will go after it once in office. He also has been silent on the UNCHR whose main purpose is to condemn Israel. I believe he won’t stand for that continuing.
It is time to discuss the UN Security Council as an obstacle to peace.
this agrees with my theory that only crooks and the corrupt are financed to the top, because they are susceptible to the carrot and the stick.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ww_DQ7-ecU
I have stated this many times… but I added that Yaalon should be in jail for abusing his authority and attempting to interfere with the process of justice by instructing his military subordinates, who must follow his orders(investigators, prosecutors and judges), that the soldier was guilty even prior to an investigation. This blatantly prepostoruous criminal interference should land yaalon in jail but mandebilt has obfuscated this crime and his avoidance to prosecute the criminal ex dm by inventing a series of dramas of corruption investigations that go nowhere. Mandebilt should also be charged for cover up.
At least Benett is standing up for the rights of nationalists and Jews… at least Bennet has said these words over and over:
“JEWISH SETTLEMENT IN JUDEA SAMARIA IS LEGAL AND LEGITIMATE”
words that we have NEVER heard from the PM since his last 2 plus terms in office. I wonder why he never says those words… apparently Israelis dont wonder why but instead complain about foreigners who follow this same MO.
The war of the West against Israel and THEREFORE ITSELF goes UNABATED!
Stupid and greedy people are stupid and greedy!
How pathetic Venezuela, Malaysia , Angola ,Cuba etc etc requested to have a speacial session of the UN. Each one of them are Pariah states that are ruled by murdering dictators ,Just last. week the Venezuelan Amabssadors son and nephew were caught red handed with $500 million worth of Cocaine