Israel moves ahead with East Jerusalem settlement plan despite U.N. vote

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
(Image credit: DAN BALILTY/AFP/Getty Images)

Israel said Monday that it would proceed with plans for 5,600 new homes in East Jerusalem, undeterred by a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the building of Israeli settlements in Palestinian areas. Israel said it does not "turn the other cheek."

In the past, the U.S. used its veto power to shield Israel from such criticism at the Security Council, but this time the Obama administration abstained. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials accused President Obama of orchestrating the resolution, and President-elect Donald Trump said things will be different when he takes office in January.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.