Israeli official: Obama administration is ‘behind this shameful move against Israel’

by Nikita Vladimirov - 12/23/16 2:09 PM ET

A senior Israeli official accused the Obama administration of backing a “shameful” resolution in the United Nations that demands an end to Israeli settlements, BuzzFeed News reported on Friday.

“President Obama and Secretary [of State John] Kerry are behind this shameful move against Israel at the UN,” the official told BuzzFeed.

“The U.S. administration secretly cooked up with the Palestinians an extreme anti-Israeli resolution behind Israel’s back which would be a tailwind for terror and boycotts and effectively make the Western Wall occupied Palestinian territory,” the official added.

{mosads}The UN Security Council is scheduled to vote on the measure that calls for Israel to stop settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which it said breached international law, at 2 p.m. The vote was once postponed by its sponsor, Egypt, due to pressure from Israel and President-elect Donald Trump.

In 2011, President Obama used the Security Council veto power to defeat a similar resolution in the UN. However, it is unclear if the Obama administration will veto the current measure. Previous reporting suggests U.S. officials were considering abstaining from the vote.

“President Obama could declare his willingness to veto this resolution in an instant but instead is pushing it,” the Israeli official told BuzzFeed.

“This is an abandonment of Israel which breaks decades of US policy of protecting Israel at the UN and undermines the prospects of working with the next administration of advancing peace.”

The upcoming vote on the proposed resolution has also angered several GOP lawmakers including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who suggested it could lead to reduced U.S. financial assistance to the UN. Some top Democrats, including incoming Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have also urged Obama to veto the measure.

“This provocative action by the United Nations is an outrage and must be dealt with sternly and forcefully,” Graham said in a statement.

Tags Chuck Schumer Donald Trump Lindsey Graham