Israel has stopped funding some UN bodies, after security council resolution demanding end to its settlement building in occupied territories
The freeze in the funding is an indication of Israel’s resolve to reassess its ties with the UN.
The action of Israel followed the adoption by the security council of a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlement building, the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has announced.
The vote was able to pass the 15-member council on Friday after the US broke with a longstanding approach of diplomatically shielding Israel and did not wield its veto power is it had many times before.
According to the Guardian, the decision has been described by Netanyahu as “shameful”.
“I instructed the foreign ministry to complete within a month a re-evaluation of all our contacts with the United Nations, including the Israeli funding of UN institutions and the presence of UN representatives in Israel,” Netanyahu said on Saturday.
Israel rejects ‘shameful’ UN resolution amid criticism of Netanyahu Israel orders steps against a number of countries that backed motion calling for halt to building of settlements in occupied territories
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“I have already instructed to stop about 30m shekels (£6.3m) in funding to five UN institutions, five bodies, that are especially hostile to Israel … and there is more to come,” he said.
The Israeli leader did not name the institutions or offer any further details.
Defying heavy pressure from longstanding ally Israel and the president-elect, Donald Trump, for Washington to use its veto, the US abstained in the security council decision, which passed with 14 votes in favour.
Israel has for decades pursued a policy of constructing Jewish settlements on territory captured by Israel in a 1967 war with its Arab neighbours, including the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
Most countries view Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as illegal and an obstacle to peace. Israel disagrees, citing a biblical connection to the land.
The Israeli leader’s statement posted on Facebook on Sunday reassure Israelites and said the resolution that was adopted yesterday at the United Nations is distorted and shameful but we will overcome it.
“The resolution determines that the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem is ‘occupied territory’. This is delusional.
“The resolution determines that the Western Wall is ‘occupied territory’. This too is delusional. There is nothing more absurd than calling the Western Wall and the Jewish Quarter occupied territory.
“There is also an attempt here, which will not succeed, to impose permanent settlement terms on Israel. You might recall that the last one who tried to do this was Carter, an extremely hostile president to Israel, and who just recently said that Hamas is not a terrorist organization.”
He reminded the people that they withdrew from Gaza, uprooted communities and took people out of their graves.
“Did this help us at all at the UN? Did this improve our relations at the UN? We were hit with thousands of rockets and at the UN we were hit with the Goldstone report!”
“In my most recent speech to the UN, in September, I said that a storm was expected in the UN before it gets better there. We knew that this is possible and we expect that it will come.”
The resolution that was passed at the UN on Saturday, he said, was part of the swan song of the old world that is biased against Israel.
“Two countries with which we have diplomatic relations cosponsored the resolution against us at the UN; therefore, I ordered yesterday that our ambassadors be recalled from, Senegal and from New Zealand,” he said.
“I have ordered that all Israeli assistance to Senegal be halted, and there’s more to come. Those who work with us will benefit because Israel has much to give to the countries of the world. But those who work against us will lose.”
