U.S. rebukes Israel and allows U.N. condemnation of settlements

In a move seen by critics as a last ditch slap at Israel by President Obama before he leaves office, the administration allowed the U.N. Security Council to push through a resolution Friday that called Israeli settlement construction on territory Palestinians want for an independent state a “flagrant violation” of international law. Despite heated criticism from President-elect Donald Trump, other leading Republicans and some prominent Democrats, Mr. Obama broke with long-standing U.S. tradition of vetoing such resolutions — instead simply abstaining from Friday’s vote on a measure that demands a halt to “all Israeli settlement activities.” Critics slammed the development, which came a day after Egyptian diplomats, who worked with Palestinians to draft and put the resolution before the Security Council, had postponed a vote on it amid behind-the-scenes pressure from Israel, whose leaders were wary the Obama administration might embrace the measure. Please click to read the entire story from the Washington Times.