Joe Biden denies lobbying foreign leaders to vote in favor of anti-Israel resolution
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has denied accusations that he lobbied foreign leaders to vote for a U.N. resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The resolution was passed by the U.N. Security Council last month after the U.S. abstained from the vote and failed to use its veto power to kill the measure.
According to a report from the Washington Free Beacon, some insiders claim that Biden personally spoke with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to request that his country vote in favor of the resolution.
"Biden lobbied Ukraine and of course administration officials are too cowardly to admit it," said a pro-Israel official working with Congress to formulate a response to the resolution.
"With everything that's going on involving Russia, Iran, and Syria, this is how the Obama administration choose to spend its precious diplomatic capital. They decided to twist arms and trade favors for a resolution that cuts off Jews from Jerusalem, a city that is Israel's capital city according to American law," the official continued.
Colin Kahl, Biden's national security advisor, denied that Biden called any foreign leader regarding the U.N. measure.
Jonathan A. Greenblatt, a former Obama administration official who now leads the Anti-Defamation League, described the resolution as "biased" and "unconstructive."
"This resolution will do little to renew peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians. It will only encourage further Palestinian intransigence vis-Ã -vis direct negotiations with Israel in favor of unilateral, one-sided initiatives," Greenblatt said in a statement.
Israel has expressed its concerns that the language of the resolution could lead to a rise in boycotts and sanctions.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the Foreign Ministry to suspend working ties with 12 countries that voted in favor of the measure. He also announced that Israel will stop sending funds to five different U.N. organizations, and it will reevaluate its relationships with U.N. representatives in the country.
According to Times of Israel, over 100 members of Congress have issued statements against the resolution. Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran and Florida Rep. Dennis Ross both expressed their intentions to introduce separate measures of disapproval over the Security Council resolution when the House reconvenes next week.