Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped to fend-off any possible moves in the future at the United Nations Security Council against Israel, following a scheduled international conference set to take place later this month in Paris, which seeks to advance the long-stalled peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. “The Paris conference is a futile conference. But there are signs that they will try to turn decisions made there into another decision in the Security Council. That’s no longer something futile. And those signs are not small in number. Therefore, our primary effort for now is to prevent another U.N. decision, another decision by the Security Council. And also, to prevent a decision by the Quartet. We are investing a great diplomatic effort in this,” said Netanyahu.
On the 23rd of December, the Security Council adopted an Egyptian drafted resolution that demands an end to Israel’s settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, despite heavy Israeli pressure against it, which maintains that only through direct negotiations peace can be achieved between the two sides. France plans, however, to convene some 70 countries on the 15th of January, to discuss ways to restart a political process, an international initiative that Netanyahu emphasizes would only harm the prospects of advancing a solution, as it would provide the Palestinian leadership with misguided hope that would bolden their stance.