Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he indicated to Secretary of State John Kerry that he is not acting as a friend to Israel.
“As I told [Secretary of State] John Kerry on Thursday, friends don’t take friends to the Security Council,” Netanyahu said Sunday at the start of his weekly Cabinet meeting.
In a 14-0 vote on Friday, the U.N. Security Council condemned Israel for settlements in areas of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The Obama administration abstained on the measure, marking an historic shift in U.S. policy just weeks before Obama completes his second term in the White House.
Netanyahu called the move a “complete contradiction of the traditional American policy,” as the U.S. had vetoed a similar resolution in 2011, and he singled out President Obama himself for walking back on his “explicit commitment” to “refrain from such steps.”
Netanyahu said Israel “will not be damaged by this shameful resolution,” saying he urged the Foreign Ministry to prepare an “action plan” regarding the U.N. and other international elements that will be submitted to the Security Cabinet within one month.
After suggesting that Kerry is not acting as a friend, the prime minister said he is “encouraged” by Israel’s true “friends” in the U.S., who “understand how reckless and destructive this U.N. resolution was, they understand that the Western Wall isn’t occupied territory.”
Many Republicans, including President-elect Trump, and even some Democrats have condemned the Obama administration’s decision to abstain from the U.N. vote. Trump tweeted afterward that, regarding the U.N., “things will be different” after he is inaugurated on Jan. 20.
“I look forward to working with those friends and with the new administration when it takes office next month,” Netanyahu said.
Senior Israeli officials said that Netanyahu summoned U.S. ambassador to Israel to explain his country’s actions during the vote, according to a report Sunday by Haaretz.
