The Israeli government is in touch with the incoming Trump administration about the formulation of an American-proposed UN Security Council resolution that would “recognize Israel’s right to build in the Judea and Samaria regions as long as there is no peace deal” with the Palestinians, Israel’s deputy foreign minister said on Friday.
“The recent Security Council decision was very bad and put Israel in a not good position,” Hotovely was quoted as saying in reference to the anti-settlement Security Council resolution that was passed last month due to the abstention of the Obama administration. “Incoming President Donald Trump has made clear he does not plan to force agreements on us. Also, he has given us two promises. One is moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and we believe this will lead to other embassies being moved to Jerusalem. The second is the US will veto any anti-Israel matter. For us, this is a lot.”
The Israeli UN delegation did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday from The Algemeiner about the potential US-proposed Security Council resolution mentioned by Hotovely.
Meanwhile, Israel announced on Friday it will suspend a “significant portion” — totaling around $6 million — of it annual contributions to the UN for 2017 as an “act of protest” following the approval of the anti-settlement resolution.
“It is unreasonable for Israel to fund bodies that operate against us at the UN,” Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said in a statement. “The UN must end the absurd reality in which it supports bodies whose sole intent is to spread incitement and anti-Israel propaganda.”
“Now is the time to implement real change at the UN,” Danon continued. “We seek to stop the practice where the UN is used solely as a forum for unending attacks against Israel.”
The funding cut, according to a statement published by the Israeli UN delegation, “represents the portion of the UN budget allocated to anti-Israel bodies” — including the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People; the Division for Palestinian Rights; the work of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories; and the Special Information Program on the Question of Palestine of the UN Department of Public Information.
The move is the “first in a series of steps under consideration by the Foreign Ministry and the Israeli [UN] mission in reaction to the recent Security Council resolution,” the statement said. “The Israeli mission is also planning additional initiatives aimed at encouraging structural change within the UN with the ultimate goal of ending anti-Israel activities. The Israeli mission is planning on moving forward on these initiatives once the new US administration takes office later this month.”
(c) 2016 The Algemeiner Journal
{Matzav.com}
