On Friday, the United Nation Security Council passed Resolution 2334, which calls on Israel to cease building settlements in territories it occupied in 1967. The Obama administration decided to abstain from the vote, allowing it to pass 14-0. FMEP’s Mitchell Plitnick explains what that means for U.S. policy toward Israel and Palestine.

Just a few days after the United Nations Security Council voted to condemn Israeli settlements, Jerusalem’s municipal government signaled that it would not back down: The city intends to approve 600 housing units in the predominantly Palestinian eastern section of town on Wednesday in what a top official called a first installment on 5,600 new homes.

For years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, a conservative, has played a double act, competing domestically with his right-wing rivals in backing the settlement project all over the occupied West Bank while professing support for a two-state solution with the Palestinians. Now, with the stinging United Nations Security Council resolution on Friday condemning Israeli settlement construction as lacking any legal validity, Israeli politicians and analysts on the right, on the left and in the political center say Mr. Netanyahu’s game may soon be up.

Jewish Home leader says Israel must use decision condemning settlements as a spur to extend Israeli sovereignty over much of the West Bank, starting with Ma’ale Adumim

Palestinians believe the UN resolution to halt Israeli settlements is a step forward, but are skeptical about its implementation.

“The United Nations Security Council vote decrying Israel’s policy of settlement expansion is a welcome but empty gesture – all but irrelevant to the contest waged daily between Israel and Palestinians, but perfectly suited to the new fascination with entertainment as policy.,” writes Geoffrey Aronson.

“The Israeli Left was quick to praise the UN Security Council’s resolution against the settlements, arguing that it was ‘good for Israel.’ As usual, the Palestinians were left out of the equation,” writes Orly Noy.

“The U.S. essentially admitted that its unyielding defense of Israel in the diplomatic arena was a disastrous strategy. With Obama bowing out, Europe will need to act on this lesson,” writes Amjad Iraqi.

Education minister says groups that ‘attack soldiers’ must not influence students; moves comes after principals ignored his guidelines.

“The idea of entrenching Jewish settlement in the West Bank and turning the idea of two states into a distant dream is probably rooted in the premise that the Palestinians will remain silent in the face of such a loss of hope,” writes Avi Issacharoff.

Local transparency organizations, the US State Department and Congress are not convinced that the Palestinian government needs to spend so much of its budget on security.

After a four-year ban, Israel has now agreed to allow the Palestinian Authority to import armored vehicles in light of the deteriorating internal security situation in the West Bank, which worries the PA.