PM Slams Abbas’s Latest U.N. Condemnation Plan

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu slammed the latest plan by Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas to condemn Israel at the United Nations Security Council. In a statement, Netanyahu said that Abbas’s insistence on condemning Israel in international forums instead of negotiating seriously was the reason there had not yet been a political settlement.

“Abbas is taking a step that will push negotiations further away. The only way to advance peace is by direct negotiations and Abbas is avoiding this. The Palestinians educate their children on a daily basis that the settlements are Tel Aviv, Haifa and Akko,” Netanyahu said.

The PA in recent days has circulated a resolution among Security Council members to condemn Israel for ongoing construction in Yehudah and Shomron, as well as in Yerushalayim. Although such resolutions have been rejected before – thanks to a veto by the U.S. – the Palestinians apparently believe that, with President Obama leaving office soon, the U.S. may decided to abstain and not veto the resolution. Abbas is scheduled to visit New York and speak at the U.N. in two weeks – on Erev Pesach.

In a previous vote in 2011 on a similar resolution, 14 out of the 15 members of the Security Council voted to condemn Israel – but it was rejected when the U.S. vetoed it, so far the only time a veto was tendered by the U.S. during the seven years of the administration of President Barack Obama.