The United States on Thursday voiced opposition to a proposed UN Security Council resolution that will criticize Israel over its construction in Judea and Samaria, AFP reported.
The resolution, which is expected to be voted upon on Monday, would demand Israel "immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory."
The text "reaffirms that the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law."
The State Department made clear on Thursday that the United States, which wields veto power at the Security Council, would not back the resolution reportedly initiated by the United Arab Emirates, a US ally which has normalized relations with Israel.
"Our view is that the introduction of this resolution was unhelpful in supporting the conditions necessary to advance the negotiations of a two-state solution, just like we believe that the news out of Israel on Sunday was unhelpful," State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said, referring to Israel's announcement this week that it would authorize nine communities in Judea and Samaria, which have existed for many years and some of which have existed for decades.
Patel stopped short of saying whether the United States would exercise its veto.
"I'm just not going to speculate or hypothesize on the process," Patel said.
"We remain focused on supporting the conditions necessary to advance the prospects for a negotiated two-state solution between the Israelis and the Palestinians which (in) our belief is the only path to a sustainable end to the conflict," he added.
The US has traditionally used its veto power in the Security Council when it has attempted to pass anti-Israel resolutions, though the Obama administration in 2016 did not veto a Security Council resolution against Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria.
On Wednesday, US officials told Axios’ Barak Ravid that the Biden administration is discussing additional steps it can take in response to Israel's latest announcement on the authorization of the nine communities in Judea and Samaria and the construction of 9,000 new housing units in the region.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, other State Department officials and the White House didn’t use the term “condemnation,” but stressed they are “deeply troubled” and “concerned” about the Israeli decision.
A senior US official said the Biden administration’s public statements were just the first phase of its response and stressed that there are discussions on further steps the administration could take to make its position against the settlements clear.