Foreign Minister Tony Blinken meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. Photo: Majdi Mohammed/AFP via Getty Images
Secretary of State Tony Blinken is trying to negotiate a deal with Israel and the Palestinian Authority that would prevent a UN Security Council vote on a resolution against the Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to two sources familiar with the issue.
Why it matters: If the resolution goes ahead and is passed, it will likely force the US to decide whether to use its veto in support of Israel, which it has repeatedly done in the past.
- The Biden administration opposes any unilateral moves by Israel, including settlement expansion, that would harm efforts to negotiate a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
- Officials say the US is also concerned that a showdown at the United Nations — even if it ended in a veto — will lead to further escalation between Israelis and Palestinians ahead of the historically sensitive period of Passover and the holy month of Ramadan.
Catch up fast: Israel announced last weekend that it was legalizing nine West Bank outposts and authorizing the planning and construction of 10,000 new housing units in existing settlements.
- Much of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be contrary to international law.
Driving the news: Blinken called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday and, according to the State Department, asked him not to push for a vote in the UN Security Council on Monday.
- “There is an urgent need to take steps to restore calm. The US opposes unilateral measures that would further escalate tensions,” Blinken said in a State Department statement to Abbas.
Abbas told Blinken to the Palestinians seeking action in the UN Security Council over Israel’s insistence on violating signed agreements, the Palestinian Presidency said in a statement.
- “Israel must stop all unilateral actions, including settlement building, house demolitions, raids on towns and villages and extrajudicial killings of Palestinians,” Abbas told Blinken, according to the statement.
- According to Abbas’ office, Palestinian President Blinken said the US must intervene and urge Israel to “stop its dangerous actions.”
- Blinken told Abbas he would contact the Israeli government. Shortly after, Blinken spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and asked him to take steps to calm the situation, sources briefed on the call said.
Between the lines: Palestinian and Israeli officials say the chances of reaching an agreement that prevents a vote are very slim.
Something to see: A senior European diplomat from a Security Council member said negotiations were underway between several member states at the United Nations to persuade the Palestinians to agree to a UN Security Council President’s statement against Israeli settlements rather than a vote on a resolution.