Israel does not intend to authorize any more new settlements in Area C in the West Bank in the next few months, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office told the United States on Monday.
The pledge, which is likely to create a coalition nightmare for Netanyahu, was made after the security cabinet legalized nine West Bank outposts earlier this month, transforming them into nine new settlements.
The move was taken in response to the terror attacks in Jerusalem, which have claimed at least 11 lives in the last month.
But even before the attacks, Netanyahu’s coalition deal with the Religious Zionist Party included a promise to authorize some 70 illegal outposts, although many of them are expected to become neighborhoods of existing settlements rather than new settlements.
An anti-Israel resolution draft was pulled from the UNSC
The move came hours before a United Nations Security Council debate in New York on settlement activity, that will be held as part of the council’s monthly meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The United Arab Emirates had been expected to submit a resolution against Israel at that meeting on behalf of the Palestinian Authority but pulled it on Sunday.
The United States had the power to veto that resolution but preferred not to exercise that power.
It worked behind the scenes to sway the PA not to move forward with the resolution.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had held phone calls with both Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.