Jerusalem cancels vote on new settlement plans

The Jerusalem City Council canceled a planned vote on controversial new settlements Wednesday, according to multiple reports.

According to Reuters, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally asked that the vote be postponed.

The planning committee of Jerusalem planned to approve 600 new housing units despite a United Nations Security Council resolution last week condemning settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The city had planned the vote before the U.N. resolution.

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The decision to postpone the vote comes hours before Secretary of State John Kerry is set to give a speech to explain the outgoing Obama administration’s vision for the Israeli–Palestinian peace process.

The United States abstained from the Security Council vote last week, refusing to use its veto power. The move has been met with backlash from Israel, with Netanyahu summoning U.S. Ambassador Dan Shapiro for a personal meeting.

Israel has accused the Obama White House of helping to coordinate the Security Council vote on the settlements, saying it has proof it will share with the White House of President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised changes in U.S. policy on the United Nations. 

Trump has pledged to be a strong ally to Israel and to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, where most countries have established their diplomatic outposts.