Israel dialed back diplomatic ties to 10 countries Tuesday whose governments supported a United Nations resolution condemning settlements in Palestinian territory. The 15-member Security Council vote was nearly unanimous: 14 nations in support, one abstention: the United States. FSRN’s Nell Abram has more.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry officially limited relations with embassies from 10 of the 14 countries that supported the Security Council resolution which calls Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory a “flagrant violation” of international law with no “legal validity.”
In a departure from its longstanding staunch support of Israel at the international body, the U.S. abstained from the vote — sparking the ire of Israeli officials who allege that Washington actually orchestrated the move. The Israeli ambassador to the U.S. said Tuesday that they have evidence supporting the claim and they will present it to incoming president Donald Trump once he takes office.
But Tuesday, State Department spokesperson John Kirby expressly denied the accusation: “I think is all a little bit of a sideshow, to be honest. This was a resolution that we could not in good conscience veto — because it condemns violence, it condemns incitement, it reiterates what has long been the overwhelming consensus international view on settlements — and it calls on parties to take constructive steps to advance a two state solution the ground. There was nothing in there that would prompt us to veto that type of resolution.”
Kirby added that the pace of settlement construction in recent years is rendering the viability of a two state solution increasingly impossible.
The UN resolution calls for a complete halt to settlement activities, but Israeli authorities show no sign of slowing that pace. According to the Israeli daily Ha’aretz, the municipality of Jerusalem is set to consider nearly 400 construction permits this week.
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations – either through need or greed – rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.
At Truthout, we are reaffirming our commitments on this front: We won’t run ads or have a paywall because we believe that everyone should have access to information, and that access should exist without barriers and free of distractions from craven corporate interests. We recognize the implications for democracy when information-seekers click a link only to find the article trapped behind a paywall or buried on a page with dozens of invasive ads. The laws of capitalism dictate an unending increase in monetization, and much of the media simply follows those laws. Truthout and many of our peers are dedicating ourselves to following other paths – a commitment which feels vital in a moment when corporations are evermore overtly embedded in government.
Over 80 percent of Truthout‘s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and the remaining 20 percent comes from a handful of social justice-oriented foundations. Over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors, many of whom give because they want to help us keep Truthout barrier-free for everyone.
You can help by giving today during our fundraiser. We have 4 days to add 310 new monthly donors. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger gift, Truthout only works with your support.