US Absteining From Vote on UN’s Israel Resolution 'Absolute Necessity' for Peace

Outgoing President Barack Obama's decision not to veto the UN Security Council draft resolution on Israeli settlements is an essential step for stabilizing the situation in the region and reaching lasting peace, US Senator Dianne Feinstein said in a press release.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, the UN Security Council passed a resolution in a 14-0 vote with the United States being the only country that abstained.

The resolution condemns Israeli settlements in the West Bank and states that Israel should immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in what it terms is "occupied Palestinian territory," including in East Jerusalem.

"Ending settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is an absolute necessity if we’re ever to achieve a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians," Feinstein stated in the release Friday.

Feinstein noted that the expansion of settlements in the West Bank has a single goal: to undermine the possibility of a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

Nearly 600,000 Israeli settlers live in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, which Israel captured during the 1967 war.

In Israel, the settler movement is championed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.