Members of the U.N. Security Council have issued rare public criticism directed at the United States over the Obama administration’s refusal to allow a resolution criticizing Israel’s settlement building in the Occupied Territories. After a closed-door session on Tuesday, diplomats from all the regional blocs represented on the Council expressed frustration with the Obama administration’s stance. The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, said the United States is alone in blocking action against illegal settlement building.

Riyad Mansour: “It is very unfortunate that when you have this kind of support in the Security Council, that the Security Council cannot legislate that in a resolution on parameters, in a resolution of condemnation of settlement activities, and a demand from Israel to stop this illegal behavior immediately in all the occupied territory, including in East Jerusalem. And the reason why the Security Council was unable to act on this very important issue, simply because of a position of one powerful country in the Security Council.”