By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
A new article at The Jerusalem Post includes the following introduction “Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer said he has evidence that the Obama administration not only abstained from the vote, but pushed and supported the resolution forward. US Ambassador to Israel at the time Dan Shapiro denied the claims and maintained on Wednesday that Resolution 2334 was not a US initiative, which it technically was not – Venezuela, Senegal, New Zealand and Malaysia were the sponsors.”
Furthermore “An Israeli source confirmed most of the details of an account in Israel Hayom this week, that Obama pushed a second UN Security Council resolution that would be damaging to Israel, and Netanyahu ended up convincing Russian President Vladimir Putin to threaten a veto.”
These leads to some interesting questions about the timeline of these events based on what is already known about the 2016 election and its aftermath. What follows are links to relevant stories and timeline details.
February 2016
Times of Israel: Israel rejects regional peace proposal. The proposal was the result of months of negotiations led by then-US secretary of state John Kerry and culminated in a secret meeting on February 21, 2016, between Netanyahu, Kerry, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Jordan’s King Abdullah, according the report.
June 2016
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets US Secretary of State in Italy on June 27, 2016; Kerry says: “Israel is, as everybody knows and we reiterate again and again, a critical ally and friend of the United States. And Israel continues to be facing significant challenges – we talked about those – in the ways in which hopefully, with good effort by all leaders, we could try to change the direction and find a positive way to affect the lives of everybody – Israelis, Palestinians, people in the neighboring countries – and move towards a more stable and peaceful future.”
Summer 2016
Washington Post: The Palestinians and Egypt — which currently holds the rotating Arab seat on the Security Council — had been talking up a new resolution on settlements since the summer. At the same time, New Zealand, which had withheld a previous measure at the United States’ request, had written a new draft.
September 2016
The Washington Post: The first public hint of the move came in the heat of the U.S. presidential campaign in September, just after nominees Trump and Hillary Clinton held meetings with Netanyahu in New York. In an Israeli television interview, Dan Shapiro, U.S. ambassador to Israel, said Obama was “asking himself” about the best way to promote a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “This could be a statement we make or a resolution or an initiative at the U.N. . . . which contributes to an effort to be continued by the next administration,” he said.
October 2016
The Jerusalem Post: Months beforeResolution 2334 passed, journalist David Ze’ev Jablinowitz, who was a correspondent for Israel Radio in 2016, spoke to Obama in October of that year and confirmed that part of the story. The then-president told Jablinowitz he “had a resolution in the works that would set the parameters for an Israeli-Palestinian final-status agreement that would include a Palestinian state and would include a time frame by which such talks should be completed,” the journalist recounted.
November 2016
Washington Post: Trump’s Nov. 8 victory increased Israeli concern of a preemptive move by Obama, along with determination by other U.N. members to table a resolution before the new U.S. administration took office.
November 30
US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.
December 2016
Unknown date
The Jerusalem Post “In December, Israel “tried to block [Resolution 2334] and Obama’s people worked behind the scenes to push it. He wouldn’t take Netanyahu’s calls at the time,” the source said. “[Then president-elect Donald] Trump was also involved in trying to stop it. Egypt were sponsors of the resolution, but they pulled their sponsorship because of Trump’s pressure.” Danon found out that there was a second resolution that the Obama administration was quietly supporting, and informed Jerusalem. Danon appealed to his Russian counterpart Vitaly Churkin, and the matter went up to the Netanyahu-Putin level. The Russians did not agree to veto Resolution 2334 condemning settlements, but they were opposed to the second one…“There was the resolution people know about and a second one, which was the parameters for a peace agreement.” Netanyahu enlisted then-president-elect Donald Trump and his staff to try to block Resolution 2334. During those efforts, an Israeli source told the Post this week.
Early December
Washington Post: Both versions began to circulate in early December. The United States, in discussions with New Zealand and indirectly with Egypt, insisted it would not even consider the matter unless the resolutions were more balanced to reflect criticism of Palestinian violence along with condemnation of Israeli settlements, according to U.S. officials…An Egyptian newspaper report alleging that Rice and Kerry met in early December with Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and the head of Palestinian intelligence to plot the resolution was false, officials said.
December 2
US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.
Director for National Intelligence James Clapper requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.
December 6
US Ambassador to Italy John Phillips and Deputy Chief of Mission to Rome Kelly Degnan requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.
December 7
US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.
December 14
US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.
Director of the CIA John Brennan requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.
Office of International Affairs, Department of Justice Patrick Conlon requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.
Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew and Acting Assistant Arthur Mcglynn and Acting Deputy Assistant Mike Neufeld and Deputy Secretary Sarah Raskin and Under Secretary of Treasury Nathan Sheets, Acting undersecretary Adam Szubin requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.
December 15
Director of the CIA John Brennan requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.
US NATO Defense Advisor Robert Bell, US Representative to NATO Military Committee Christenson and US NATO Office of Defense Advisor, Deputy assistant director of NEMc, US NATO Advisor to Ambassador Douglas Lute, US NATO Deputy DEFAD James Hursh, Chief of Syria Group, Deputy Chief of US Mission to NATo Litzenberger, US Permanent Representative to NATO Amb. Douglas Lute, US DOE IN, US NATO Political Officer Scott Parrish, USA DOE Secretary of Energy, US DOE IN, US NAO Political Advisor amir Waser, requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.
Director of the FBI James Comey requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.
Chief of Syria group [name redacted] requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.
December 21
Washington Post:The Egyptian draft, tweaked with help from Britain, was submitted to the council on Dec. 21. As often happens when competing and overlapping resolutions circulate, New Zealand and co-sponsors Malaysia, Senegal and Venezuela decided to drop their version and support the nearly identical Egyptian resolution in order to cut short prolonged negotiations and push for a vote. “The United States did not draft or originate this resolution. Nor did we put it forward,” Kerry said in a speech Wednesday. “It was drafted by Egypt . . . which is one of Israel’s closest friends in the region, in coordination with the Palestinians and others.”…“We wanted to see Security Council action,” said a diplomat from one of the sponsors. “We wanted the international community to reaffirm the two-state solution.”
The Mueller Report notes that: “On December 21Egypt submitted a resolution to the UN Security Council calling on Israel to cease settlement activities…the Security Council was scheduled to vote on the resolution the following day…the [Trump] Transition Team regarded the vote as a significant issue wanted to support Israel by opposing the resolution.
Washington Post: In the meantime, however, Egypt came under sharp pressure from Israel — which frequently supports U.S. military aid to Cairo — and from Trump, who called Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi. Arab foreign ministers convened a Thursday meeting in Cairo, and by midday, Egypt had withdrawn its resolution. A scheduled 3 p.m. vote was canceled…”Dec. 21, amid his morning workout, an afternoon round of golf and a family dinner with friends, President Obama interrupted his Hawaii vacation to consult by phone with his top national security team in Washington. Egypt had introduced a resolution at the U.N. Security Council condemning Israeli settlements as illegal, and a vote was scheduled for the next day.”
December 22
Mueller Report: “Multiple members of the Transition Team, as well as Trump, communicated with foreign government officials to determine their views on the resolution and to rally support to delay the vote or defeat the resolution. [Jared] Kushner led the effort for the Transition Team. Flynn was responsible for the Russian government. Minuted after an early morning phone call with Kushner on December 22, Flynn called Kislyak...he informed Kislyak about the vote and the Transition Team’s opposition to the resolution and requested that Russia vote against or delay the resolution. Later that day Trump spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi about the vote. Ultimately Egypt postponed the vote.
List of names of US officials who sought to “unmask” Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn
December 23
Draft resolution by Malaysia, New Zealand, Senegal and Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela introduced.
Mueller report notes: Throughout the day members of the Transition Team continued to talk with foreign leaders about the resolution with Flynn continuing to lead the outreach with the Russian government.
Kislyak-Flynn call transcript:
Kislyak: Uh, certainly if, uh, the others will put it through to a vote, and I understand my, uh, colleagues tell me that Egyptians are not pressing for a vote.
Flynn: Yeah, there … there, l can tell you that there’s, uh, you know, a litany of countries that are … that we’re talking … I’m .. Pm talking directly to. And … and that. .. Kislyak: I see. Flynn: Basically1 just as I asked you. Kislyak. Yeah. Flynn: And I think there are a few other countries that are going to abstain. Um, Egypt. Egypt is, uh, is in a place, you know, again .. . [pause] You know, the strategic goal is stability in the Middle East. That’s the strategic goal, and … and, you know, between you and I, and you know this, and we know this, and you know … and between Moscow and Washington, we will not achieve stability in the
Flynn, “OK, that. That’s good news.” Kislyak interrupts to continue with his points. Kislyak, “Secondly [PH], if ah, the orders will put it in to the vote and I understand my colleagues tell me that Egyptians are not pressing for the vote. But may be others.”…“allow me to cont. .. ah, to complete my presentation of these points … So, we will try to help ah … to give additional time for the conversation on this issue. But if it is put on vote, for historical reasons, as I explained to you … we cannot ah … other than to support it,” says Kislyak. responding to your telephone call, and our conversations we will try to help to postpone the vote and to allow for consultations.”
Security Council Approves Resolution Regarding Israel’s Establishment of Settlements in the OPT – Verbatim Record. “Members of the Council have before them document S/2016/1100, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by Malaysia, New Zealand, Senegal and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.”Resolution is approved as United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334.
Washington Post: U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power, who had just received the go-ahead from Obama, via a call from White House national security adviser Susan E. Rice, raised her hand high in abstention. The resolution was approved.
Trump, who supported a US veto, tweeted for Israel to “stay strong” until his inauguration.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.
December 28
Director for National Intelligence James Clapper requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.
US Ambassador to Turkey Bass requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.
December 29
The Flynn-Kislyak call: First, Kislyak wants to discuss the Middle East policy. The Russians want to convey to the President-elect that the Russians will not be supporting the American colleagues at the Security Council. Flynn says it is good. Flynn wants to convey the following [to Moscow]: Do not allow this administration to box us in right now!
KISLYAK: We wanted to convey to you and through you to the President Elect that we had uh significant reservations about the idea of adopting now the principles for the Middle East~ uh~ that our American colleagues are pushing for. So we are not going to support it to – in the quartet, or in the Security Council. And we have conveyed to our American colleagues. So in the spirit of full transparency I was asked to infonn you as well. FLYNN: Okay. KfSL YAK: So it’s not something that we – Russia – are going to support.
FLYNN: Certainly will relay it. And then uh, I appreciate very much the uh, reservations about the current administration’s position on the Middle East. That – that does not do anybody any good right now, with – I mean, you know, you know Ambassador, the situation with Hamas, and the Palestinian situation, I mean, we’ 11 come up with a solution that’s good for everybody. We will.
January 5
Chief of Staff to the President of the United Stated Denis McDonough requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.
January 7
Director for National Intelligence James Clapper requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.
Deputy Director of National Intelligence Michael Dempsey, and Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Stephanie O’Sullivan, requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.
January 11
US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.
January 12
Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.
Vice President Joe Biden requests documents that led to the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.