Netanyahu Bans Ministers from Traveling to Countries Supporting Settlement Resolution

Israel protested to ambassadors from 10 countries present at the recent Security Council vote on settlements, and the Prime Minister ordered his ministers not to travel to countries that supported the resolution. According to Israeli media, on Sunday, December 25, Benjamin Netanyahu prohibited all cabinet ministers from visiting countries supporting the resolution, including Britain, France, China, and Russia, and asked them to have 'no cooperation' with their counterparts from these countries. These orders could signify a willingness to accept self-imposed isolation for the Israeli government, following Netanyahu's strong reaction to the Security Council resolution. On Friday, December 23, the Security Council passed Resolution 2334, with the support of 14 countries and the rare action of the United States abstaining from voting, which condemns Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories and emphasizes the need to halt these constructions. This was the first time in 38 years that the U.S. did not veto a Security Council resolution regarding Israel. Netanyahu stated during a cabinet meeting that 'there is no doubt that Barack Obama was behind the drafting, presentation, and approval of this resolution.' Israeli media also reported that Netanyahu, who personally holds the post of Foreign Minister, summoned U.S. Ambassador Dan Shapiro in Tel Aviv on December 25 to 'rebuke' him. It appears to be the first time that a U.S. ambassador in Israel has been summoned for a 'rebuke' by the Israeli government. Netanyahu also announced that he canceled his meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May, which was supposed to take place at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He warned his ministers that 'the Obama administration will take another action against Israel before the end of its term.' According to the website Ynet, Netanyahu predicted that Obama might recognize the independence of Palestine in the remaining three weeks of his presidency. Some Israeli ministers claimed that Obama, in the last days of his administration, has 'stabbed Israel in the back' after the blow from the nuclear deal with Iran. The accusation of 'betrayal' against Obama by senior Israeli officials comes at a time when the Washington government recently approved $38 billion in military aid to the Israeli army for a 10-year period. Israel confirmed that 'no U.S. administration has provided military and financial assistance to Israel at the level of the Obama administration.' However, aside from the renewed tension in Israel's relations with Washington in these final days of Obama's administration, Israel's relations with several important countries around the world have also soured. Based on Netanyahu's directive on December 25, ambassadors from Russia, China, Britain, France, Egypt, New Zealand, Senegal, Japan, Ukraine, Angola, and Uruguay, who supported the resolution, were summoned to the Israeli Foreign Ministry to express objections. Israel has diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level with 13 of the 15 permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council, but currently has no relations with Venezuela and Malaysia, the other two non-permanent members of the Security Council. The draft resolution condemning Israeli settlements was presented to the Security Council meeting on December 23 by four countries: Venezuela, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Senegal. In protest against this resolution, the Israeli government also canceled the upcoming visits of the Prime Minister of Ukraine and the Foreign Minister of Senegal to Israel and recalled its ambassadors from these two countries. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump reacted to these events on Twitter, stating that the Security Council resolution has made the Israeli-Palestinian peace process 'harder.'