UN considers draft resolution to urge Israel to stop settlement activities in Palestine

The United Nations Security Council is considering a draft resolution, seen by Reuters on February 15, that would demand Israel "immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory."

The 15-member council is likely to vote on February 20 on the text, drafted by the United Arab Emirates in coordination with the Palestinians, diplomats said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government on February 12 authorized nine Jewish settler outposts in the occupied West Bank and announced mass construction of new homes in established settlements, prompting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to say he was "deeply troubled."

In December 2016 the Security Council demanded Israel stop building the settlements. It adopted a resolution after U.S. President Barack Obama's administration abstained, a reversal of its practice of protecting Israel from UN action.

The US mission to the United Nations and Israel's UN mission did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the draft resolution.

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."

It also condemns all attempts at annexation, including decisions and measures by Israel regarding settlements.

Most world powers view as illegal the settlements Israel has built on land it captured in a 1967 war with Arab powers. Israel disputes that and cites biblical, historical and political links to the West Bank, as well as security interests.