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December 21, 2011

U.N. Security Council Members Criticize U.S. on Israeli Settlements 
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Members of the U.N. Security Council have issued rare public criticism
directed at the United States over the Obama administration's refusal to
allow a resolution criticizing Israel's settlement building in the
Occupied Territories. After a close-door session on Tuesday, diplomats
from all the regional blocs represented on the Council expressed
frustration with the Obama administration's stance. The Palestinian
ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, said the United States
is alone in blocking action against illegal settlement building.

Riyad Mansour: "It is very unfortunate that when you have this kind of
support in the Security Council that the Security Council can not
legislate that in a resolution in parameters, in a resolution of
condemnation of settlement activities and demand from Israel to stop
this illegal behavior immediately in all the occupied territories
including in East Jerusalem and the reason why the Security Council was
unable to act on this very important issue simply because of a position
of one powerful country of the Security Council."



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