Netanyahu summons U.S. envoy over anti-settlement resolution adopted by U.N.

JERUSALEM — The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Daniel B. Shapiro, was requested Sunday to attend a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the United States’ refusal to block a U.N. Security Council resolution that harshly criticized Israeli settlements, a senior official in the prime minister’s office said.

The meeting follows a series of summons Sunday, Christmas Day, of envoys from countries that have diplomatic relations with Israel and that voted in favor of the resolution.

Passing by a vote of 14 to 0, the resolution declares that Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem have “no legal validity” and constitute a “flagrant violation under international law.” It also calls the settlements a major obstacle to achieving a two-state solution and peace with the Palestinians.

Breaking with a long-standing policy of blocking resolutions dealing with Israel, the United States did not use its veto powers to stop its passage, opting to abstain instead.

Read the whole story from The Washington Post.