Benjamin Netanyahu > World Economic Forum / Manuel Lopez, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel won’t approve any new settlements in the West Bank in the coming months in a blow to his far-right ministers.
“Israel informed the United States that, in the coming months, it will not authorise new settlements beyond the nine already approved,” said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office on Monday as the Biden administration sought to broker a compromise ahead of a planned UN resolution.
The resolution – which called for a halt to settlement building – was sparked by the government’s decision last week to grant retroactive authorisation to nine settler outposts in the West Bank. The move angered the Palestinians and was condemned by the US and Britain.
However, Israel’s commitment to the US led the United Arab Emirates on Monday to say it wouldn’t call a vote on the draft resolution.
A more balanced statement will be endorsed unanimously by the council.
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