Netanyahu: Israel Will Review Relations With UN After Resolution on Settlements

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the state’s Foreign Ministry to review the UN-Israel relationship, including the issues related to Israeli contributions to UN budget and the presence of the organization’s representatives in the state after the adoption of the anti-Israel UN Security Council's resolution.

TEL AVIV (Sputnik) – On Friday, the UN Security Council passed the resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank in a 14-0 vote, with the only abstention from the United States. The resolution states that Israel should immediately and completely cease all settlement activities on "occupied Palestinian territory," including in East Jerusalem. Israeli authorities criticized the resolution and refused to abide by its provisions.

"I have ordered the Foreign Ministry to carry out a revision of all our relations with the United Nations, including funding UN institutions and presence of UN representatives in the state," Netanyahu said Saturday, adding that he had already directed that the contributions to the budget of five UN institutions should be decreased by some $7.87 million.

On Saturday, local media reported that Netanyahu canceled the visit of his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Groysman scheduled for the next week over Kiev's support for the UNSC resolution.

Over 500,000 Israeli settlers live in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, which Israel captured during the 1967 war. The settlements are considered illegal by the United Nations.