UN Security Council holds special meeting on so-called "Illegal Israeli Settlements" - with U.S. approval

On October 14, 2016, the Obama administration played an active role in a Security Council meeting on "illegal Israeli settlements" - by jumping on the anti-Israel bandwagon. In particular, Ambassador David Pressman spelled out the rationale for the harm that President Obama evidently intends to do to Israel via the UN following the election.

Pressman spent most of his remarks "strongly condemning" Israel for settlements, while never specifically blaming the Palestinian leadership for any "obstacle to peace." Instead, Pressman merely referred to unnamed terrorists and incitement to violence coming from unnamed sources. And he ended with remarks justifying UN intervention prior to negotiations - thus pushing the possibility of a negotiations light years away:

"We all understand that a permanent status agreement that finally ends the conflict can only be achieved by direct bilateral negotiations between the parties. But significant progress towards creating a two-state reality can be made now that will help restore hope and lay the groundwork for successful negotiations."

Here is more of Pressman's address (which can be viewed on the webcast from 1:54:18 to 1:59:30): "We are deeply concerned about continued settlement activity. ...[S]uch actions are corrosive to the cause of peace...[S]trongly condemn plan to create a significant new settlement...[S]ystematically undermining the two-state solution...Israel must decide between expanding settlements and preserving the possibility of a peaceful two-state solution. Proceeding with steps such as last week's announcement, only leaves Israel closer to cementing a one-state reality and perpetual occupation that is fundamentally inconsistent with Israel's future as a Jewish and as a democratic state. ...We have seen a recent uptick in terrorist attacks. Just last week there was a horrific attack in Jerusalem that killed two Israelis...We strongly condemned this act of terrorism and the statements glorifying it...There is absolutely no justification of such attacks. ...Those who commit acts of terrorism or encourage acts of violence, regardless of the reasons they attribute to these actions, send a message to the international community that they are not committed to peace. Since July, we have also seen over 2400 settlement units... We all understand that a permanent status agreement that finally ends the conflict can only be achieved by direct bilateral negotiations between the parties. But significant progress towards creating a two-state reality can be made now that will help restore hope and lay the groundwork for successful negotiations. We continue to stress the urgency and importance of taking these steps now and refraining from actions which corrode the prospects for two states."