Israel Curtails Ties With 10 Countries Over U.N. Settlements Vote

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel on Tuesday curtailed relations with 10 countries that voted in favor of a recent U.N. Security Council resolution condemning settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

The United States broke with past practice by allowing the Security Council to pass the measure that called settlement building on land claimed by the Palestinians a "flagrant violation" of international law, sparking fury in Israel.

The Palestinians claim the West Bank along with east Jerusalem — home to holy sites sacred to Jews, Muslims and Christians — as parts of their future state. Israel says settlement activities in the territories, which were captured by Israel in the 1967 war, should be agreed upon in future peace talks.

In a statement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said Israel was limiting its "work contacts with the 10 relevant embassies here, as well as travels of officials from Israel to those countries ... until otherwise decided."
These countries were Britain, France, Russia, China, Japan, Ukraine, Angola, Egypt, Uruguay and Spain

"We have no doubt the Obama administration initiated it (the resolution), stood behind it, coordinated the wording and demanded it be passed," Netanyahu told the cabinet in comments released publicly on Sunday.