Jerusalem is sending a strong message that it will not tolerate diplomatic blows from any country, especially when dealt by supposed friends of Israel.
Jerusalem has summoned and reprimanded the ambassadors of the 14 countries that voted in favor of the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) resolution on Friday, which declared Israel’s presence in eastern Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria illegal.
The ambassadors were summoned to the Foreign Ministry on Sunday, despite the fact that Sunday is a not a work day for them and that it was also Christmas.
The Israeli leader reportedly instructed his ministers to refrain from visiting countries in the near future that supported the UNSC resolution and not to hold meetings with their counterparts from these countries.
Netanyahu also summoned US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro for “clarifications” regarding the US abstention at the vote, which enabled its adoption and broke a long-standing US policy of vetoing biased UN resolutions against Israel.
These measures were added to the prime minister’s earlier retaliatory measures. Netanyahu had recalled Israel’s ambassadors to Senegal and New Zealand, two countries that cosponsored the resolution.
Recalling of Ambassadors and Cutting Funds
Similarly, Netanyahu ordered a halt to all Israeli assistance to Senegal – a measure tht will shut down a multi-million-shekel agricultural project in the African country.
Netanyahu, who also serves as Israel’s foreign minister, has instructed the Foreign Ministry to complete, within a month, a reassessment of all Israel’s contacts with the UN, including Israeli financing of UN institutions and the presence of UN representatives in the country. As well, he ordered an immediate end to approximately NIS 30 million in financing for five UN institutions.
Netanyahu also decided on Saturday to cancel an official visit by Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman to Jerusalem, scheduled for this week. The decision was made in protest of the fact that Ukraine, usually a friend of Israel, voted in favor of the UNSC resolution.
Israeli officials explained that Jerusalem is responding in a harsh fashion to the UNSC resolution in order to convey a message that it does not take such diplomatic blows lightly, especially when dealt by supposed allies.
By: World Israel News Staff