Biden Accused of Pressuring Ukraine to Vote Against Israel

Israel’s Environmental Protection Minister Zeev Elkin accused U.S. Vice President Joe Biden of intervening with the Ukrainian government to secure its vote on the U.N. Security Council against Israel last Friday, The Jerusalem Post reported on Monday night.

It was the first time during that any Israeli has named a specific American official in the affair, saying only that the U.S. had worked behind the scenes to push the vote through.

Elkin said that had it not been for Biden the Ukrainians would have abstained, as they often have in votes condemning Israel at the U.N.

Biden’s office denied the charge, saying, “This is not accurate, he hasn’t made any calls,” consistent with the Obama administration’s insistence that it had no hand in the resolution brought before the Council.