This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38412079
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 2 | Version 3 |
---|---|
Egypt delays UN motion on Israel as Trump intervenes | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Egypt has delayed a UN vote on a text condemning Israeli settlements in occupied territory after Israel asked Donald Trump to intervene. | |
Israel contacted the US president-elect's transition team after learning that the Obama administration might abstain on the Security Council vote. | |
The move would have allowed the motion to pass, a US official told the BBC. | |
The draft resolution was withdrawn after Mr Trump spoke directly with Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. | |
The resolution tabled by Egypt called for Israel to stop settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which it said breached international law. | |
It was to have been voted on in the UN Security Council on Thursday, but Egypt withdrew it hours before the meeting was due to start. | It was to have been voted on in the UN Security Council on Thursday, but Egypt withdrew it hours before the meeting was due to start. |
The US, which holds the power of veto as a permanent member of the Security Council, has traditionally sheltered Israel from condemnatory resolutions by voting them down. | |
"Israelis deeply appreciate one of the great pillars of the US-Israel alliance: the willingness over many years of the United States to stand up in the UN and veto anti-Israel resolutions," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier. | |
"I hope the US won't abandon this policy," he added. | |
The Obama administration has long made clear its opposition to Israeli settlement building and there had been speculation that in its final month it might allow a resolution against settlements to pass by abstaining from voting. | |
Earlier on Thursday, Mr Trump had urged the Security Council to defeat the resolution. | Earlier on Thursday, Mr Trump had urged the Security Council to defeat the resolution. |
In a statement, the US president-elect said: "Peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians will only come through direct negotiations between the parties, and not through the imposition of terms by the United Nations. | |
"This puts Israel in a very poor negotiating position and is extremely unfair to all Israelis." | "This puts Israel in a very poor negotiating position and is extremely unfair to all Israelis." |
After the postponement of the vote, an Israeli official told Reuters news agency that it had warned the Obama administration in advance that it would appeal to the president-elect if the US abstained, and confirmed that it had directly asked Mr Trump to intervene. | After the postponement of the vote, an Israeli official told Reuters news agency that it had warned the Obama administration in advance that it would appeal to the president-elect if the US abstained, and confirmed that it had directly asked Mr Trump to intervene. |
In a statement, Mr Sisi's office said that after a telephone conversation with Mr Trump, the two leaders had agreed the new US administration should be given a chance to deal with the issue. | |
Mr Trump takes over as US president on 20 January. | Mr Trump takes over as US president on 20 January. |
However, four other members of the Security Council warned that if Egypt did not press ahead with its resolution, other member states would do so. | |
New Zealand, Venezuela, Malaysia, and Senegal said they reserved the right to move ahead with the vote. | New Zealand, Venezuela, Malaysia, and Senegal said they reserved the right to move ahead with the vote. |
None of the four are permanent members of the council, but are serving two-year terms. | None of the four are permanent members of the council, but are serving two-year terms. |