Israel Tantrum Continues, Slashes UN Funds After UN Vote
Israel has responded with anger, taking a number of retaliatory moves after the U.N. resolution was passed.
Following Friday’s U.N. vote where a historic, but largely symbolic, motion was passed condemning the Israel's illegal settlement-building, Israel has retaliated in a number of ways. Most recently, Israel announced Sunday it will be axing all funds to several U.N. institutions.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, as reported by The Sun, “I have already instructed to stop about 30 million shekels (US$7.8 million) in funding to five U.N. bodies that are especially hostile to Israel … and there is more to come.”
Friday’s resolution was passed only because the United States broke its long-standing approach of diplomatically shielding Israel and did not wield its veto power, abstaining instead.
Earlier that day Sunday, Israel’s seething anger towards its ally, for what it perceived as a betrayal, prompted Netanyahu to summon the U.S. ambassador to Israel. While the envoys of 10 other nations were also summoned by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, harsher words were reserved for Washington after Friday’s vote.
On Friday Israel also announced that it would recall its ambassadors to New Zealand and Senegal, cancel a planned state visit by the Senegalese foreign minister, as well as cut off all aid to the West African country.
The U.N. Security Council has not adopted a critical stance on Israel’s settlement building since 1979, when again, the United States under the Jimmy Carter administration withheld its veto power, over the issue of powder keg in the seizure of Palestinian land.
Israel's continued policy of expansion through illegal settlements on occupied land, as well as its erection of a wall to separate the state from Palestinians, has been compared with racist policies of apartheid South Africa.
posted by Satish Sharma at
09:29
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