UN Resolution on Israeli Settlement Building

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution in New York on 23 December 2016 calling for an immediate and complete halt to all Israeli settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.

The main reason for the resolution was the fear that settlement activity would endanger the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. That is why 14 states voted in favour of the resolution and the United States abstained and did not veto it, as was the case with previous resolutions on settlement construction. The resolution calls for an immediate and complete halt to settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In addition, the UN Secretary-General is to report every three months on the current implementation status.

It is very unlikely that Israel will abide by the resolution, but the resolution has a strong symbolic character.

Source:

- UN Security Council calls for immediate halt to settlement (NZZ, 23. Dezember 2016)
- Resolution 2334 (PDF)