Israeli PM orders reassessment of UN ties after vote on settlements

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for the reassessment of its ties to the United Nations after the Security Council voted on a resolution last Friday condemning the settlements in the West Bank.

"I instructed the Foreign Ministry to complete within a month a re-evaluation of all our contacts with the United Nations, including the Israeli funding of UN institutions and the presence of UN representatives in Israel," said Netanyahu, according to Reuters.

He stated that he has issued orders to cut 30 million shekels ($7.8 million) in funding to five U.N. institutions that he deemed to be "hostile" to Israel.

The 14 countries that voted in favor of the resolution were Russia, China Britain, France, Angola Egypt, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Senegal, Spain, Ukraine, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Netanyahu reportedly ordered the Foreign Ministry to suspend working ties with 12 of the countries on Sunday. Venezuela and Malaysia are not affected by the Prime Ministers orders because it does not have diplomatic ties with Israel, Times of Israel reported.

An official said that the activities involving the embassies of the 12 countries will be suspended, and the ambassadors of the said countries will not be received at the Foreign Ministry.

The U.S., which traditionally uses its veto power to block resolutions that condemn Israel, has abstained from the vote. Netanyahu accused U.S. President Barack Obama of "shameful ambush" at the U.N due to the abstention.

The Prime Minister summoned U.S. Ambassador Dan Shapiro to ask for "clarification" regarding Washington's failure to use its veto.

Ten ambassadors from states that voted in favor of the resolution were also summoned to the Foreign Ministry on Sunday. President-elect Donald Trump condemned the vote on Saturday and said that peace negotiations will be much harder because of the resolution.

Netanyahu said that he is looking forward to working with the president-elect.

"The decision taken at the U.N. yesterday was part of the swan song of the old world biased against Israel," said the Prime Minister.

"We are entering a new era and as the President-elect Trump said yesterday, this is going to happen much quicker than people think. In this new era there is a high price for those trying to harm Israel," he added.