Obama’s pettiness on full display. And yes, there will be one president shortly and it wouldn’t be you.
Via NY Post:
The resolution was first introduced by Egypt in cooperation with the Palestinians to consider settlement building in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank “a flagrant violation under international law.”
Fourteen of the 15 other members of the Security Council voted in favor of the resolution. Its approval was met with sustained applause in the chamber.
A “no” vote by the US or any of the other four permanent members of the council — Russia, China, France or Great Britain — would have killed it.
The US vetoed a similar resolution in 2011.
The White House said on Friday that Obama made the final decision.
“Our position is that there is one president at a time,” said Ben Rhodes, the White House national security adviser. “President Obama is the president until Jan. 20, and we are taking this action of course as US policy.”
He added that the administration is “certain” President-elect Donald Trump will take a different tack when he becomes commander in chief in January.
Moments after the vote, Trump, who on Thursday sided with Israel by opposing the resolution, vowed that US policies regarding the Middle East would soon change.
“As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th,” Trump tweeted.
A vote had initially been planned on the resolution for Thursday, but Egypt backed off under pressure from Israel and a phone call from Trump.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hearing that the White House may either abstain from the vote or would not veto the measure, began a flurry of diplomatic maneuvers and reached out to Trump to enlist his support, sources said.
On Thursday, Trump tweeted, “The resolution being considered at the United Nations Security Council regarding Israel should be vetoed.”
After Egypt backed out to give Trump a chance to weigh in as president, four other members of the Security Council — New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal — went ahead and reintroduced it.