(1) UNSC passes "an anti-Israel resolution, against the Jewish people and the state of the Jews" - Israeli Energy Minister(2) Zionist Organization of America brands UNSC Resolution "anti-Semitic"(3) J Street welcomes the resolution; AIPAC 'deeply disturbed' by Obama's failure to veto(4) Netanyahu & Trump pressured Egypt to withdraw resolution; then other countries put it(5) Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish organizations condems the Resolution(6) Sen. Chuck Schumer & World Jewish Congress urged a Veto(7) AIPAC & the Jewish Council for Public Affairs urged Obama to Veto the Resolution(8) Israel ends aid programs, orders ambassadors home after UNSC condemnation of settlements(9) Israel reconsiders its U.N. membership & funding after Settlement resolution(10) Obama branded a Jew hating anti-Semite after UN Resolution(1) UNSC passes "an anti-Israel resolution, against the Jewish people and the state of the Jews" - Israeli Energy Ministerhttp://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-24/us-rebukes-israel-and-allows-un-condemnation-of-settlements/8146442US rebukes Israel and allows UN condemnation of settlementsThe Obama administration has allowed the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements, defying pressure from US President-elect Donald Trump as well as Israel and several US senators who urged Washington to use its veto.Key points:     The UN votes in favour of resolution calling for the end of Israeli settlements condemning them as having "no legal validity"     14 of the 15 member states voted in favour, US abstained from voting     Israeli Energy Minister says the US "has abandoned its only friend in the Middle East"The resolution was put forward at the 15-member council for a vote on Friday by New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal a day after Egypt withdrew it under pressure from Israel and Mr Trump. Israel and Mr Trump had called on the United States to veto the measure.It was adopted with 14 votes in favour, to a round of applause. It is the first resolution the Security Council has adopted on Israel and the Palestinians in nearly eight years.The US decision to abstain was a relatively rare step by Washington, which usually shields Israel from such action.The US abstention was seen as a parting shot at policy by US President Barack Obama, who has had an acrimonious relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and who has made settlements a major target of peace efforts that have proven ultimately futile.The resolution demanded that Israel "immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem" and said the establishment of settlements by Israel had "no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law".'US has abandoned Israel'Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz responded saying the US had abandoned Israel by abstaining."This is not a resolution against settlements, it is an anti-Israel resolution, against the Jewish people and the state of the Jews. The United States tonight has simply abandoned its only friend in the Middle East," Mr Steinitz, who is close to Mr Netanyahu, told local media.Mr Trump tweeted shortly after the decision, addressing the UN. External Link: @realDonaldTrump: "As to the UN, things will be different after Jan 20th"A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the resolution was a blow to Israeli policy."The Security Council resolution is a big blow to Israeli policy, a unanimous international condemnation of settlements and a strong support for the two-state solution," spokesman Nabil Abu Rdainah said in a statement.Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erekat said an end to Israeli settlements marked "a day of victory"."This is a day of victory for international law, a victory for civilized language and negotiation and a total rejection of extremist forces in Israel," he told Reuters.A resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the United States, France, Russia, Britain or China to be adopted.The Palestinians want an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, areas Israel captured in a 1967 war.Israel disputes that settlements are illegal and says their final status should be determined in talks on Palestinian statehood. The last round of US-led peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians collapsed in 2014.The passage of the resolution changes nothing on the ground between Israel and the Palestinians and likely will be all but ignored by the incoming Trump administration.More than a symbolic moveThe resolution formally enshrined the international community's disapproval of Israeli settlement building and could spur further Palestinian moves against Israel in international forums.Mr Trump, who called for a veto along with Mr Netanyahu, is likely to be a more staunch supporter of Mr Netanyahu's right-wing policies. He named a hardline pro-Israel ambassador and vowed to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.A senior Israeli official said on Thursday if adopted there was "zero chance" the Israeli Government would abide by the measure.Under the UN Charter, UN member states "agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council"."It was to be expected that Israel's greatest ally would act in accordance with the values that we share and that they would have vetoed this disgraceful resolution," Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said after the vote."I have no doubt that the new US administration and the incoming UN secretary-general will usher in a new era in terms of the UN's relationship with Israel."Wires(2) Zionist Organization of America brands UNSC Resolution "anti-Semitic"http://zoa.org/2016/12/10346745-zoa-urges-veto-of-disgraceful-anti-israel-un-resolution-on-jewish-communities-2/ZOA Urges Veto of Disgraceful Anti-Israel UN Resolution on Jewish CommunitiesDecember 22, 2016Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) President Morton A. Klein issued the following urgent statement:ZOA urges President Obama and UN Ambassador Samantha Power to veto the (now postponed) anti-Israel, anti-Semitic, anti-peace, racist resolution that the UN Security Council (UNSC) had initially planned to vote on today.   The proposed resolution would make all of the Jewish communities in Judea/Samaria and eastern Jerusalem in the lawful, millennia-old Jewish homeland suddenly "have no legal validity" and "a flagrant violation" of international law; would require Israel to halt construction in these areas; makes false statements about international law; falsely claims that these Jewish communities are a "major obstacle"; calls on all nations to discriminate against Jewish communities in Judea/Samaria and eastern Jerusalem; and would require Israel to return to indefensible 1949 Armistice lines (misleadingly called "1967 borders").ZOA praises President-elect Donald Trump for condemning the anti-Israel UNSC resolution, and the President-elect’s nominee for U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman for working relentlessly to try to stop this anti-Israel resolution.For the following reasons, the proposed resolution must be vetoed – and Congress and President-elect Trump should declare that they will end all funding to the UN and Palestinian Authority ("PA") if the resolution comes to a vote and passes:   The proposed resolution drastically changes U.S. policy and harms the peaceful transition to the new U.S. administration: Failing to veto the proposed resolution would dramatically change and destabilize U.S. and international law and policy, and thus would violate President Obama’s pledge to assure a peaceful transition to the incoming Trump administration.As Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon accurately said, the proposed UNSC resolution "will do nothing to promote a diplomatic process, and will only reward the Palestinian policy of incitement and terror."As liberal Democrat Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz noted when a similar resolution was proposed in 2011:  "the real reason the U.S. should veto this ill-conceived resolution is that it is inconsistent with U.S. policy, which has long advocated a negotiated resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli dispute."  ("The U.N. Gangs Up On Israel – Again," by Alan Dershowitz, Wall Street J’nal, Jan. 26, 2011.) [...](3) J Street welcomes the resolution; AIPAC 'deeply disturbed' by Obama's failure to vetohttp://www.haaretz.com/jewish/news/.premium-1.761051Monday, December 26, 2016.UNSC Resolution on Israeli Settlements Sends Shockwaves Through U.S. Jewish CommunityJ Street welcomes the resolution, which 'reaffirms the need for a two-state solution'; AIPAC 'deeply disturbed' by Obama's failure to veto motion; ZOA president: Trump may reconsider UN funding.   Dec 24, 2016 8:12 PM Taly Krupkin (New York)The UN Security Council resolution against the Israeli settlements sent waves of surprise and shock through American Jewish organizations across the ..."By supporting this anti-Semitic and racist resolution he has shown that he supports the Hamas-Abbas terrorist authority. And has sympathy and [...]{can someone please send me the full article? - Ed.}(4) Netanyahu & Trump pressured Egypt to withdraw resolution; then other countries put ithttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/23/world/middleeast/israel-settlements-un-vote.htmlU.S. Abstains as U.N. Security Council Votes to Condemn Israeli SettlementsBy SOMINI SENGUPTA and RICK GLADSTONEDEC. 23, 2016UNITED NATIONS — Defying extraordinary pressure from President-elect Donald J. Trump and furious lobbying by Israel, the Obama administration on Friday allowed the United Nations Security Council to adopt a resolution that condemned Israeli settlement construction.The administration’s decision not to veto the measure broke a longstanding American policy of serving as Israel’s sturdiest diplomatic shield at the United Nations.While the measure will have no practical impact on the ground, it was regarded as a major rebuff to Israel that could increase its isolation over the paralyzed peace process with the Palestinians, who have sought to establish their own state on territory held by Israel.Applause broke out in the 15-member Security Council’s chambers following the vote on the measure, which passed 14-0, with the United States abstaining.The vote came a day after Mr. Trump personally intervened to keep the measure, proposed by Egypt, from coming up for a vote on Thursday, as scheduled. Mr. Trump’s aides said he had spoken to the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Both men also spoke to the Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Egypt postponed the vote.But in a show of mounting frustration, four other countries on the Security Council — Malaysia, New Zealand, Senegal and Venezuela — all of them relatively powerless temporary members with rotating two-year seats, snatched the resolution away from Egypt and put it up for a vote Friday afternoon.The departing Obama administration has been highly critical of Israel’s settlement building, describing it as an impediment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Mr. Trump has made clear that he will take a far more sympathetic approach to Israel when his administration assumes office in a month. Photo Construction at an Israeli settlement in the West Bank in 2015. Credit Tomas Munita for The New York TimesMr. Trump’s comments on the issue amounted to his most direct intervention on United States foreign policy during his transition to power.The United States ambassador, Samantha Power, portrayed the abstention as consistent with the American disapproval of settlement-building, but she also criticized countries at the United Nations for treating Israel unfairly. She said the United States remained committed to its "steadfast support" for Israel and reminded the council that Israel received an enormous amount of American military aid.Ms. Power said the United States chose not to veto the resolution, as it had done to a similar measure under Mr. Obama in 2011, because settlement building had accelerated so much that it had put the two-state solution in jeopardy, and because the peace process had gone nowhere."Today the Security Council reaffirmed its established consensus that settlements have no legal validity," she said. "The United States has been sending a message that settlements must stop privately and publicly for nearly five decades."Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, who had urged the American delegation to block the measure, expressed his disappointment in a statement that looked forward to a change in policy under Mr. Trump."It was to be expected that Israel’s greatest ally would act in accordance with the values that we share and that they would have vetoed this disgraceful resolution," he said.The resolution condemned Israeli housing construction in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank as a "flagrant violation under international law" that was "dangerously imperiling the viability" of a future peace settlement establishing a Palestinian state.The resolution also includes a nod to Israel and its backers by condemning "all acts of violence against civilians, including acts of terror, as well as all acts of provocation, incitement and destruction." That language is diplomatic scolding aimed at Palestinian leaders, whom Israel accuses of encouraging attacks on Israeli civilians.(5) Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish organizations condemns the Resolutionhttp://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/UN-Security-Council-passes-anti-settlement-resolution-US-abstains-476360UN Security Council passes anti-settlement resolution, US abstainsBy DANIELLE ZIRI12/23/2016 21:24It is the first resolution the Security Council has adopted on Israel and the Palestinians in nearly eight years. (U.N. Security Council passes resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlement building)NEW YORK - The United Nations Security Council voted on Friday to adopt a resolution condemning Israeli settlement activity as illegal, and demanding that Israel "immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the 'occupied' Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem".Fourteen out of the 15 voting members of the Council voted in favor of the resolution, none voted against it, and the United States chose to abstain instead of casting its veto on the initiative.The vote was originally scheduled to take place on Thursday, but in a dramatic turn of events, Egypt, which had introduced the draft resolution, withdrew it just hours before it was due to be considered at the Security Council, as President-elect Donald Trump came out squarely against it, saying the resolution "should be vetoed""As the United States has long maintained, peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians will only come through direct negotiations between the parties, and not through the imposition of terms by the United Nations. This puts Israel in a very poor negotiating position, and is extremely unfair to all Israelis," Trump said in a statement.For several months, as the possibility of an anti-settlement resolution was being discussed, the question remained whether or not President Barack Obama – an ardent opponent of the settlements – will use the US veto in the Security Council to shield Israel from it. In the days before the vote, there was a sense in Jerusalem that he would not do so.That sense was broadcast by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who tweeted on Thursday that "the US should veto the anti-Israel resolution," and issued an even sharper statement again just before the Egyptians announced that they were pulling back the resolution."Israelis deeply appreciate one of the great pillars of the US-Israel alliance: the willingness over many years for the US to stand up in the UN and veto anti-Israel resolutions," he said. "I hope the US won’t abandon this policy; I hope it will abide by the principles set by President Obama himself in his speech in the UN in 2011: that peace will come not through UN resolutions, but only through direct negotiations between the parties."In her speech to the Council following the vote, US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power justified the US decision by explaining that it is in line with the bipartisan US views regarding the settlements for decades.However, she explained the US isn’t supporting the text because it focuses "too narrowly" on settlements, maintaining that if every single settlement dismantled, it would still not guarantee peace.Power also spoke of Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements in favor of the settlements, but also of the two state solution saying they are "irreconcilable"."One has to make a choice between settlements and separation," she said.However, she said, Friday’s vote was "not straightforward" for the US because of its venue, the United Nations."For as long as Israel has been a member of UN, it has been treated differently," she told the Council.Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon responded harshly to the American decision and stated that "neither the Security Council nor UNESCO can sever the tie between the people of Israel and the land of Israel.""It was to be expected that Israel's greatest ally would act in accordance with the values that we share and that they would have vetoed this disgraceful resolution," he said. "I have no doubt that the new US administration and the incoming UN Secretary General will usher in a new era in terms of the UN's relationship with Israel."During his speech to the Security Council, Danon pointed fingers at the member states."This is a dark day for this Council," he said. "The resolution you just voted on is the peak of hypocrisy. While thousands are being massacred in Syria, this Council wasted valuable time and efforts, condemning the democratic State of Israel for building homes in the historic homeland of the Jewish people.""By voting yes in favor of this resolution, you have in fact voted no," he continued. "you voted no to negotiations, you voted no to progress and a chance for better lives for Israelis and Palestinians, and you voted no to the possibility of peace."Danon also called on the Council to "take this opportunity to turn a new page, put an end to the bias and obsession with Israel, stop this endless attempt to blame all the problems of the Middle East, on the one true democracy in the region."Following Friday’s outcome, many Jewish Organizations from across the political spectrum, who had strongly pushed and advocated for the US to veto the resolution, also expressed their disappointment that the US chose to abstain.The Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish organizations said it deeply regrets and rejects the US move."There is no justification or explanation that validates the United States failure to veto the one-sided, offensive resolution adopted by the Security Council today," the organization wrote. "The United States vote will be seen as a betrayal of the fundamentals of the special relationship that will nevertheless continue to mark the close ties between the peoples of the two countries."The American Jewish Council CEO David Harris too said he is "deeply disappointed that the United States chose to abstain on a UN Security Council resolution today which singled out Israel for condemnation.""The Administration’s decision, for the first time in eight years, not to block an anti-Israel measure at the UN Security Council is profoundly disturbing," he said. "It only encourages diplomatic end-runs and diversionary tactics, which hinder rather than advance the prospects for peace.""Moreover, this measure repeats the Palestinian falsehood that Israeli settlements constitute the core of the conflict," Harris added. "Let’s be clear: The chief obstacle to achieving peace is, and long has been, the steadfast refusal of the Palestinian leadership to recognize Israel’s legitimacy and negotiate in earnest a comprehensive agreement. Security Council members that supported the resolution are not helping the cause of peace by their failure to hold the Palestinians accountable for their chronic short-sightedness and inaction."Herb Keinon and Reuters contributed to this report.(6) Sen. Chuck Schumer & World Jewish Congress urged a Vetohttp://forward.com/news/breaking-news/358205/sen-chuck-schumer-world-jewish-congress-urge-veto-of-un-anti-settlement-res/Sen. Chuck Schumer, World Jewish Congress Urge Veto of UN Anti-Settlement ResolutionCnaan LiphshizDecember 23, 2016(JTA) — The World Jewish Congress joined calls by lawmakers in Israel and the United States, including incoming Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, urging the Obama administration to veto an anti-settlement resolution at the U.N. Security Council.The WJC statement Friday by its president, Ronald Lauder, followed vigorous lobbying for a veto in Jerusalem and by President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday and Friday. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on President Barack Obama to veto the draft resolution submitted by Egypt in coordination with the Palestinians, which called settlements "a flagrant violation of international law" that damaged the prospects of two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Following a telephone conversation between Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt put the draft resolution on hold. But four Security Council member states, New Zealand, Venezuela, Malaysia and Senegal, said they would submit their own draft resolution amid speculation that Obama intended to let it pass if brought to a vote Friday."We urge the United States, Israel’s greatest ally, to veto this text," Lauder wrote in reference to the later draft. "It is counterproductive, and does nothing to enhance the role of the United Nations in resolving the Middle East conflict."Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement Friday that he spoke directly with the administration several times, as recently as that morning, "and in the strongest terms possible urged them to veto this resolution.""Whatever one’s views are on settlements, anyone who cares about the future of Israel and peace in the region knows that the U.N., with its one sidedness, is exactly the wrong forum to bring about peace," he wrote.The junior senator from New York, Kirsten Gillibrand, also a Democrat, wrote in a statement: "I call on the Administration to do everything in its power to make sure this resolution is not put forward or passed."Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., wrote in a statement sent out by his office: "Unilateral resolutions of this kind do not advance the cause of peace, and I would urge the Administration to make every effort to oppose its being brought forward and make it clear that it will veto the measure if necessary."Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., backed the veto calls, adding he would work in a bipartisan fashion to reduce U.S. funding to the United Nations should the draft resolution pass.According to The Times of Israel, Israeli officials were furious that the Obama administration allegedly was going to allow the vote to pass. The news site quoted someone described as "an Israeli official" as saying: "President Obama and Secretary [of State John] Kerry are behind this shameful move against Israel at the U.N."Neither Trump’s team nor Egyptian officials would reveal the contents of the talk between the president-elect and al-Sisi. Both Trump and Netanyahu took to social networks to call for a U.S. veto.On Facebook, Trump wrote that the Egyptian draft resolution should be vetoed."As the United States has long maintained, peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians will only come through direct negotiations between the parties, and not through the imposition of terms by the United Nations. This puts Israel in a very poor negotiating position and is extremely unfair to all Israelis," he wrote.And Netanyahu wrote on Twitter: "The U.S. should veto the anti-Israel resolution at the U.N. Security Council on Thursday," referring to the Egyptian text. It was an unusually public appeal regarding an issue that is usually coordinated between the two allies behind closed doors, suggesting that Netanyahu was not certain that the United States under Obama would indeed veto.Israel approached the Trump campaign after it felt that it had failed to persuade the Obama administration to veto the planned vote, an Israeli official told CNN. The official said that Israel "implored the White House not to go ahead and told them that if they did, we would have no choice but to reach out to President-elect Trump."The United States has long complained of anti-Israel bias at the United Nations.Under Obama, Washington also publicly criticized Israeli construction in the West Bank, eastern Jerusalem and all other lands captured by Israel in 1967 as detrimental to the two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.(7) AIPAC & the Jewish Council for Public Affairs urged Obama to Veto the Resolutionhttp://www.jta.org/2016/12/23/news-opinion/united-states/world-jewish-congress-more-us-lawmakers-join-call-for-veto-of-un-anti-settlement-resolutionCall for veto of UN anti-settlement resolution grows strongerDecember 23, 2016 1:10pm(JTA) — A growing list of Jewish groups and U.S. lawmakers joined the call urging the Obama administration to veto an anti-settlement resolution at the U.N. Security Council.The World Jewish Congress, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs joined incoming Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and other lawmakers in urging the administration to veto the resolution expected to come up for a vote on Friday afternoon.The resolution, which calls Israeli settlements "a flagrant violation of international law" that damage the prospects of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was introduced by Egypt in coordination with the Palestinians. Amid growing pressure from Israel and President-elect Donald Trump, Egypt put the resolution on hold on Thursday. On Friday, four Security Council member states — New Zealand, Venezuela, Malaysia and Senegal — said they would submit their own draft resolution amid speculation that President Barack Obama intended to let it pass."We urge the United States, Israel’s greatest ally, to veto this text," World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder said in a statement Friday. "It is counterproductive, and does nothing to enhance the role of the United Nations in resolving the Middle East conflict."Schumer said in a statement Friday that he spoke directly with the administration several times, as recently as that morning, "and in the strongest terms possible urged them to veto this resolution.""Whatever one’s views are on settlements, anyone who cares about the future of Israel and peace in the region knows that the U.N., with its one sidedness, is exactly the wrong forum to bring about peace," he wrote.The American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs both released statements Friday urging the administration to veto the resolution."All those who support a peaceful resolution to the conflict should oppose this resolution," said David Bernstein, JCPA’s president. "If the Palestinians feel that the UN will deliver Israel for them, why would they negotiate?"The junior senator from New York, Kirsten Gillibrand, also a Democrat, wrote in a statement: "I call on the Administration to do everything in its power to make sure this resolution is not put forward or passed."Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., wrote in a statement sent out by his office: "Unilateral resolutions of this kind do not advance the cause of peace, and I would urge the Administration to make every effort to oppose its being brought forward and make it clear that it will veto the measure if necessary."Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., backed the veto calls, adding he would work in a bipartisan fashion to reduce U.S. funding to the United Nations should the draft resolution pass. [...](8) Israel ends aid programs, orders ambassadors home after UNSC condemnation of settlementshttp://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-24/israel-ends-aid-programs-after-un-security-council-vote/8146840Israel's Prime Minister has taken diplomatic action against the countries that co-sponsored a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.Key points     Benjamin Netanyahu cancels aid to co-sponsors of Security Council resolution     Resolution condemns Israeli settlements in West Bank and East Jerusalem     Donald Trump promises 'things will be different' when he takes officePrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced the steps a few hours after the United States broke with past practice and chose not to veto the measure.The resolution was put forward at the 15-member council for a vote by New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal a day after Egypt withdrew it under pressure from Israel and President-elect Donald Trump, who pushed for a veto.The resolution demanded that Israel "immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem" and said the establishment of settlements by Israel had "no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law".Mr Netanyahu ordered Israel's ambassadors in New Zealand and Senegal to immediately return home for consultations.He also instructed the Foreign Ministry to end all aid programs for Senegal and to cancel a planned visit to Israel by the Senegalese foreign minister.Shortly after the measures were announced, Israel's UN ambassador called the Security Council's vote "a victory for terror".Danny Danon told the council after the 14-0 vote the resolution was full of "lies" and will be added "to the long and shameful list of anti-Israel UN resolutions"."By voting 'yes' in favour of this resolution, you have in fact voted 'no'. You voted 'no' to negotiations. You voted 'no' to progress, and a chance for better lives for Israelis and Palestinians. And you voted 'no' to the possibility of peace," he said.New era for Israel's relations with US, UN?Under the UN Charter, UN member states "agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council".Mr Danon said the council was "sending a message to the Palestinians that they should continue on the path of terrorism and incitement".     "I have no doubt that the new US administration and the incoming UN secretary-general will usher in a new era in terms of the UN's relationship with Israel," he said.Mr Danon urged incoming UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to make clear to the Palestinians the only way forward is "to end incitement and terror and to enter meaningful negotiations with Israel".Mr Guterres takes office January 1, replacing incumbent Ban Ki-moon.Mr Ban called the resolution a "significant step" to reconfirm the vision of a two-state solution with the Palestinians.He said the vote demonstrated the Security Council's "much needed leadership and the international community's collective efforts" that are critical to demonstrate a two-state solution where Israel and the Palestinians live side by side in peace "is still achievable".But Mr Netanyahu said, "at a time when the Security Council does nothing to stop the slaughter of half a million people in Syria, it disgracefully gangs up on the one true democracy in the Middle East, Israel, and calls the Western Wall 'occupied territory'".The US abstention was seen as a parting shot at policy by US President Barack Obama, who has made settlements a major target of peace efforts that have ultimately failed.Shortly after the vote Mr Trump tweeted "things will be different" with the UN after his inauguration.Mr Trump is likely to be a more staunch supporter of Mr Netanyahu's right-wing policies. He named a hard-line pro-Israel ambassador and vowed to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.Palestinian UN ambassador Riyad Mansour said the resolution "is significant after years of paralysis" and a step toward addressing "a 70-year open wound" that has prevented peace and stability in the region.The resolution demands an immediate halt to Israeli settlement building, and Mr Mansour said that will require "vigilant follow-up if it is to be meaningful, to stem further deterioration and salvage the two-state solution from relegation to history's archives".He urged the council to "stand firm by this decision" and "not be cowed by negative threats or spin".The Palestinians want an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, areas Israel captured in a 1967 war.Israel disputes that settlements are illegal and says their final status should be determined in talks on Palestinian statehood. The last round of US-led peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians collapsed in 2014.Wires(9) Israel reconsiders its U.N. membership & funding after Settlement resolutionhttp://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-palestinians-un-idUSKBN14C1IVSat Dec 24, 2016 | 2:46pm ESTIsrael to re-assess U.N. ties after settlement resolution, says NetanyahuU.S. abstains from UN vote to end Israeli settlement building01:40Israel will re-assess its ties with the United Nations following the adoption by the Security Council of a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlement building, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday.The vote was able to pass the 15-member council on Friday because the United States broke with a long-standing approach of diplomatically shielding Israel and did not wield its veto power as it had on many times before - a decision that Netanyahu called "shameful"."I instructed the Foreign Ministry to complete within a month a re-evaluation of all our contacts with the United Nations, including the Israeli funding of U.N. institutions and the presence of U.N. representatives in Israel," Netanyahu said in broadcast remarks."I have already instructed to stop about 30 million shekels ($7.8 million) in funding to five U.N. institutions, five bodies, that are especially hostile to Israel ... and there is more to come," he said.The Israeli leader did not name the institutions or offer any further details.Defying heavy pressure from long-time ally Israel and President-elect Donald Trump for Washington to use its veto, the United States abstained in the Security Council decision, which passed with 14 votes in favor.Israel for decades has pursued a policy of constructing Jewish settlements on territory captured by Israel in a 1967 war with its Arab neighbors including the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.Most countries view Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as illegal and an obstacle to peace. Israel disagrees, citing a biblical connection to the land.(Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Richard Balmforth)(10) Obama branded a Jew hating anti-Semite after UN Resolutionhttp://forward.com/news/breaking-news/358231/j-street-welcomes-un-resolution-on-israel-settlements/J Street Welcomes UN Resolution on Israel SettlementsForward Staff and JTADecember 23, 2016Liberal American groups welcomed the UN security council resolution on Israeli settlements while mainstream pro-Israel groups blasted the U.S. for allowing it to pass.J Street, the dovish pro-Israel lobby, welcomed the resolution."The resolution is consistent with longstanding bipartisan American policy, which includes strong support for the two-state solution, and clear opposition to irresponsible and damaging actions, including Palestinian incitement and terror and Israeli settlement expansion and home demolitions," J Street said.The American Jewish Committee in a statement Friday said it was "deeply disappointed that the United States chose to abstain on a U.N. Security Council resolution today which singled out Israel for condemnation."Mort Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, slammed the decision. The New York Post quoted him saying "Obama has made it clear that he’s a Jew hating, anti-Semite. He likes Jews who are his friends but not Jews in general."-- Peter MyersAustraliawebsite: http://mailstar.net/index.html