Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, has confirmed that Britain was closely involved in the formulation of UN Security Council Resolution 2334 concerning settlements.
The announcement, made during a Parliamentary session on Tuesday, follows earlier reports suggesting that the UK was a leading player in drafting the biased resolution and pushing it to a vote.
Responding to questions from MPs, Johnson said, “I want to remind you that the UK was closely involved in the drafting of that resolution. It was an Egyptian-generated resolution and we only supported it because it contained new language pointing out the infamy of terrorism that Israeli suffers every day.”
The Foreign Secretary also commended US Secretary of State John Kerry’s speech.
“Kerry was completely right to draw attention to the illegal settlements and he was completely right to draw attention to the substance of Resolution 2334,” Johnson said.
Mr Johnson’s comments are in stark contrast from the remarkable response to Kerry’s speech from Prime Minister Theresa May, who said it was not appropriate to make such strongly worded attacks on the makeup of a government or to focus solely on the issue of Israeli settlements.
Boris Johnson Answers MP’s Questions on Israel and the UK’s su…TODAY Boris Johnson answered MP’s questions on Israel and the UK’s support for UN Resolution 2334.
Clearly Boris Johnson supports Israel and condemns violence against Israel, but there is a clear lack of understanding in the House in how damaging resolution 2334 truly is.
We must continue to pray for our politicians and leaders and of course for Israel.
#Israel #UK #BorisJohnson #Boris #UN
Posted by Christians United for Israel – UK on Tuesday, January 10, 2017
According to reports, British jurists and diplomats worked directly with the Palestinians on the wording of Resolution 2334 before it was first distributed by the Egyptians. They say the British did this in secret, without informing Israel.
After Egypt withdrew its plans to put forward the resolution, the British encouraged New Zealand to push the resolution to a vote even without Egyptian support for the move.
The wording of UNSCR 2334 elevates the issue of settlements above all other issues needed to secure a final and just peace settlement and as a result presents some serious consequences.
For example, by specifically including East Jerusalem and by extension the Western Wall, describing it as an “illegal settlement”, Britain has supported a position that breaks all previous protocols and creates more contentious issues rather than less.
ACT NOW: Contact Theresa May and your MP
Christians United for Israel UK