On Monday, days after the United Nations Security Council’s vote to denounce Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem, President-elect Donald Trump took to Twitter to chastise the United Nations for their decision. The President-elect noted that the UN has “such great potential” but “now it is just a club.”
“The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!” Trump tweeted.
On Friday, the UN Security Council voted on Resolution 2334, which calls for a halt to all Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Samantha Power, the US Ambassador to the UN, abstained from voting on the anti-settlement resolution and allowed the other countries to pass a resolution condemning the Jewish nation.
“For the simple truth is that for as long as Israel has been a member of this institution, Israel has been treated differently from other nations at the United Nations,” Power said, defending the US decision to abstain. “And not only in decades past…but also in 2016, this year. One need only look at the 18 resolutions against Israel adopted during the UN General Assembly in September or the 12 Israel-specific resolutions adopted this year in the human rights council, more than those focused on Syria, North Korea, Iran and South Sudan put together.”
The Obama Administration was quickly criticized, from US leaders on the right and the left, for its refusal to veto the resolution and defend Israel. Just moments after Power abstained from voting, President-elect Trump tweeted:
“As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th.”
The next day, on Christmas Eve, President-elect Trump commented yet again on the United Nations’ failure to stand up for Israel.
“The big loss yesterday for Israel in the United Nations will make it much harder to negotiate peace,” Trump tweeted. “Too bad, but we will get it done anyway!”
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