Dec 28,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – Michael Jansen
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doing himself and Israel harm by making a huge fuss over the adoption by the UN Security Council of Security Council Resolution 2334 and the US abstention, which allowed the measure to pass.
Netanyahu should have ignored it and let it be silently shelved along with the dozens of other council resolutions critical of Israel.
As soon as the council adopted the resolution by a vote of 14-0 with one abstention, Netanyahu declared that Israel would not abide by the resolution and announced that his government would cancel $7 million his country contributes to UN agencies.
He recalled Israeli ambassadors from two countries backing the resolution and called in ambassadors of all 14 to give them a wigging.
He also threatened to punish the countries that had proposed the resolution: Venezuela, New Zealand, Malaysia and Senegal. The original sponsor, Egypt, withdrew the text under strong pressure from Israel and from Trump, but voted in favour.
The resolution states that Israel’s colonies established since 1967 have “no legal validity”, constitute a “flagrant violation” of international law and are a “major obstacle” to a two-state solution and a just and lasting regional peace.
Categories: Israel, United Nations, United States
Netanyahu’s response was sort of to be expected. Nothing special here. What keeps disappointing me however is the response of Egypt. The Big Country of Egypt! Scared …? (well, others such as Jordan would also be…, sad, sad, sad, …)