Israel on the offensive

Netanyahu curbs ties with nations over UN vote, plans more settlements

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his nation's foreign ministry to temporarily limit all working ties with the embassies of the 12 UN Security Council members who voted in favour of last week's resolution on West Bank settlements and who have diplomatic relations with Israel, CNN quoted two senior Israeli officials as saying.
The officials said that business with the embassies of those countries - Britain, France, Russia, China, Japan, Ukraine, Angola, Egypt, Uruguay, Spain, Senegal and New Zealand - will be suspended.
Israel could also advance plans this week for thousands more settlement homes in occupied east Jerusalem in defiance of the UN resolution. Netanyahu will not meet the foreign ministers of those countries and their ambassadors will not be received at Israel's foreign ministry, the officials added.
In addition, travel by Israeli ministers to those countries will also be limited, the officials said. Foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon later clarified Israel was "temporarily reducing" visits and work with embassies. "Until further notice, we'll limit our contacts with the embassies here in Israel and refrain from visits of Israeli officials to those states, and of visits of officials from those states here," he said.
Israel has already called back its ambassadors to New Zealand and Senegal for consultations, and cancelled aid programmes with the African state. On Tuesday, Israel informed Angola it would be freezing its aid programme there, Nahshon said.
There have also been reports that Netanyahu was calling off a meeting with British PM Theresa May at next month's World Economic Forum in Davos, but there has been no official confirmation. - AFP

• MENA