24 December 2016

Al Jazeera: UNSC to vote on ending Israeli settlement activity

The United Nations Security Council is due to vote on a draft resolution that would demand Israel "immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem".

Egypt circulated the draft late on Wednesday and a vote was scheduled for 3pm (20:00 GMT) on Thursday.

Israeli settlements are illegal under international law and seen as major stumbling block to peace efforts as they are built on Palestinian land occupied by Israel. [...]

Trump has signalled that he would support Israel in a number of critical areas and not pressure it to engage in talks with the Palestinians.

Obama's administration, however, has been highly critical of Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

In October, the US joined the European Union, the UN and Russia in calling for a halt to the settlements in a report released by the so-called diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East.

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