Posted on 02/16/23
| News Source: Arutz-7
The United States on Thursday voiced opposition to a proposed UN Security Council resolution that will criticize Israel over its construction in Judea and Samaria, AFP reported.
The resolution, which is expected to be voted upon on Monday, would demand Israel "immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory."
The text "reaffirms that the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law."
The State Department made clear on Thursday 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 deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said, referring to Israel's announcement this week that it would authorize nine communities in Judea and Samaria, which have existed for many years and some of which have existed for decades.
Patel stopped short of saying whether the United States would exercise its veto.
"I'm just not going to speculate or hypothesize on the process," Patel said.