US averts potential UN diplomatic crisis over Israeli settlements
- Diplomats said the US had managed to prevent a UN Security Council resolution pushed by the Palestinians that would have halted future Israeli expansion
- Israel and the Palestinians had been convinced to agree, in principle, to a six-month freeze in any unilateral action they might take, the diplomats said
The Biden administration has averted a potential diplomatic crisis over Israeli settlements at the United Nations that had threatened to overshadow US efforts for the world body to focus on Russia’s war with Ukraine ahead of this week’s one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion.
Multiple diplomats familiar with the situation said on Sunday that the US had successfully managed to forestall a contentious UN Security Council resolution pushed by the Palestinians that would have condemned Israel for settlement expansion and demanded a halt to future activity.
To avoid a vote and a likely US veto of such a resolution, the diplomats said the administration managed to convince both Israel and the Palestinians to agree in principle to a six-month freeze in any unilateral action they might take.
On the Israeli side, that would mean a commitment to not expanding settlements until at least August, according to the diplomats.
On the Palestinian side, the diplomats said it would mean a commitment until August not to pursue action against Israel at the UN and other international bodies such as the World Court, the International Criminal Court and the UN Human Rights Council.
The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the highly sensitive negotiations.
