Obama abstention on UN vote a new low

The UN Security Council recently passed a resolution condemning Israel's settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem areas. The Obama administration abstained, and decided not to veto the UN Security Council resolution that harshly criticized Israel.

Obama and much of the international community consider Israel's settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as an obstacle to peace. Netanyahu rejects such claims, blaming the failure of peace efforts on the Palestinian refusal to recognize Israel's Jewish identity.

Netanyahu spokesman David Keyes told CNN's Dana Bash, "We have iron-clad information, frankly, that the Obama administration really helped push this resolution and helped craft it, from sources internationally and sources in the Arab world."

So how does this affect Israel? The biggest blow is to Israel's settlement in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. This resolution has left little room for negotiation about the legality of the settlements, stating that Israel's settlements have "no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law." This means that Israel's decision to build a plaza for prayer at the Western Wall - Judaism's holiest site - constitutes a "flagrant violation of international law." Terrorist groups like Hamas joyfully celebrate this decision.

The resolution further calls on countries to recognize a difference between Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories when dealing with Israel. That could lead to sanctions against products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Israel Katz, a senior government minister in Israel stated Obama had "reached a new low when he turned his back on America's ally Israel."

Michael Imhof

Aurora