US opposes UN bid to denounce Israeli settlements

UNITED NATIONS (United States) – The United States voiced opposition to a proposed UN Security Council resolution that would demand Israel end settlements in the occupied territories, despite Washington’s criticism of its ally on the issue.

Days ahead of a Security Council meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a draft resolution seen by AFP would demand that Israel “immediately and completely cease” settlement activities in occupied Palestinian areas.

The text comes after nearly unanimous criticism among major powers including the United States against a decision by Israel’s hard-right government to give retroactive permission to multiple settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank and to build new homes.

The White House said it was “deeply dismayed” by the Israeli decision.

But the State Department made clear that the United States, which wields veto power at the Security Council, would not back the resolution reportedly initiated by the United Arab Emirates, a US ally which has normalized relations with Israel.

“Our view is that the introduction of this resolution was unhelpful in supporting the conditions necessary to advance the negotiations of a two-state solution, just like we believe that the news out of Israel on Sunday was unhelpful,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said, referring to Israel’s settlement decision.

He stopped short of saying whether the United States would exercise its veto — which would be the first under Biden, who has accused Russia of abusing its veto power.

“I’m just not going to speculate or hypothesize on the process,” Patel told reporters in Washington.

“We remain focused on supporting the conditions necessary to advance the prospects for a negotiated two-state solution between the Israelis and the Palestinians which (in) our belief is the only path to a sustainable end to the conflict,” he said.

The United States has for decades intervened at the United Nations to protect Israel from resolutions.

But in the last weeks of former president Barack Obama’s administration, Washington abstained and let through a resolution that also called for a halt to all Israeli settlement activity.

The Biden administration has sought to preserve ties with newly returned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even while criticizing the settlement decision.